Despite the outcome of the 2021 French Open final, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova can reflect on a rather tardy coming of age at the top level.
The Russian enjoyed success early on in her career and by the time she was 18, she had reached the third round of Wimbledon and won four ITF titles – the Russian’s stock was rising, and most expected her to dominate the women’s game as soon as she went full-time on the WTA Tour.
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 10, 2021
Russia’s Return
Pavlyuchenkova becomes the first Russian woman to reach the #RolandGarros final since Sharapova in 2014. pic.twitter.com/3dytCYWzIZ
One of the reasons that she’s available at such a throwaway price in the Wimbledon 2021 odds, is possibly because up until her run to the final of Roland-Garros, Pavlyuchenkova had never progressed beyond the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam event in 51 attempts, and in more than a decade of trying she still only has 12 WTA Tour titles to her name – and none since 2014.
Despite suffering defeat in the final of the French Open, Pavlyuchenkova performed admirably throughout the tournament, which – aided by the knowledge that she can be an elite performer – suggests the 29-year-old should not be discounted for success at Wimbledon.
So could Pavlyuchenkova finally fulfill her potential?
The Winning Mindset
The switch from hard courts to the clay-court season clearly affects some players more than others. For Pavlyuchenkova, it has certainly been a trigger for better times, and a run to the semi-finals of the Madrid Masters – dropping just one set in her first four matches – reveals the instant switch in the mindset of the Russian.
For sports psychologists and those with an interest in the human mind, tennis players make for a fascinating case study. Pavlyuchenkova has the all-round game to thrive on any surface, and yet it took the switch to clay for her to find her best form.
— Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (@NastiaPav) June 8, 2021
Confidence is a funny, fragile thing, and it can be hard for players to live up to their potential.
Dr. Jim Taylor, a sports psychologist, wrote an important article on the notion of ‘prime confidence’ – that is, the unflinching belief that your process and ability will ultimately lead to long-term success, even if results in the short term are not as desired.
“Confidence is so important, because you may have all of the ability in the world to perform well, but if you don’t believe you have that ability, then you won’t perform up to that ability,” he wrote.
Prime confidence is the ability to overcome negativity and identify opposition as a challenge, rather than an obstacle that can’t be surpassed. Perhaps that concept is a useful way of explaining the difficulties – and subsequent renaissance – of Pavlyuchenkova.
In her early years, she was simply better than her peers – that was all that counted in her pursuit of silverware. But by playing experienced pros and those that could match her for skill, Pavlyuchenkova lost her prime confidence.
Now, though, it seems to be back, and you wonder if the Russian’s best years are yet to come.
