What would you do if you earned nearly $90,000 for playing a single match? For 22-year-old Olivia Gadecki, who reached her first WTA final at the Guadalajara Open in September 2024 and earned a runner-up prize money of $87,655, the answer was anything but extravagant. It wasn’t on a luxury shopping spree or a dream vacation. It was on something that will melt your hearts!

Ranked No. 152 at the time, Gadecki’s performance in Guadalajara was nothing short of spectacular. She defeated former US Open champion Sloane Stephens and No. 2 seed Danielle Collins to make her first WTA final, ending a long dry spell without a tour-level win since January. In the semifinals, she took down Colombia’s Camila Osorio 6-2, 6-3, marking one of the most significant milestones of her career.

In the final, Gadecki faced Poland’s Magdalena Fręch. The closely fought match saw Frech win her first WTA singles title with a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory. Despite the loss, Gadecki’s remarkable run made her the third-lowest-ranked player to reach a WTA final in 2024. Only Bianca Andreescu (No. 228) in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Ajla Tomljanović (No. 190) in Birmingham entered the tournaments with lower rankings. Speaking in a segment on ABC News two weeks ago, Gadecki revealed how she spent her earnings.

She chose to make the most meaningful investment possible—spending time with family. “I actually treated myself to a trip to Oklahoma State to see my little brother. I hadn’t seen him for almost eight, nine months when I was back in OZ, so I’m here visiting him for a couple of days, and yeah, nothing can sort of buy that in a way, so I’m happy to be here,” she said.

Gadecki’s tennis journey started young, inspired by her four brothers, who encouraged her to pick up a racket at the age of three. Tennis runs deep in the Gadecki family, with several siblings pursuing the sport professionally. This strong family bond was evident in her decision to prioritize seeing her younger brother after her career-defining moment.

As of now, Olivia is preparing herself for a showdown in Melbourne.

Olivia Gadecki kick starts her 2025 season as Australian No.1

The 22-year-old from the Gold Coast had skyrocketed 64 spots, achieving a new career-high ranking of world No. 88, after a remarkable performance at Guadalajara. This marks the deepest run for an Australian woman at a WTA 500 tournament since Ash Barty’s triumph at the Adelaide International in January 2022. As a result, Gadecki had surpassed Daria Saville to become Australia’s top-ranked female tennis player. She entered the year in the same fashion!

She was first seen at the United Cup representing her country, Australia. However, she faced defeat at the hand of Great Britain’s Katie Boulter with a score line of 6-2, 6-1. The Australian No.1 then set foot at the Adelaide International courts where she had to be disappointed as well as the 2023 and 2024 runner-up Daria Kasatkina defeated her 6-2, 6-3.

Now, Gadecki is gearing up for her next big test at the Australian Open, her first slam appearance. She is scheduled to face Veronika Kudermetova on Rod Laver Arena. Just a few hours ago, Gadecki showcased her excitement for this mega event by uploading a post on IG. She captioned that post with, “Final prep. See you tomorrow Rod Laver Arena.”

In 2023, the Australian player dominated Russian qualifier Polina Kudermetova, the sister of WTA star Veronika Kudermetova, in a decisive straight-sets victory (7-5, 6-1), marking her maiden Grand Slam triumph. Will the Australian No. 1 go further than that this time around?