SharePARIS: Taiwan's world number 175 Joanna Garland told AFP she will rely on her self-belief as she prepares for her second-round match at the French Open after overcoming a serious injury to qualify for a maiden Grand Slam appearance.
After navigating her way through the qualifiers last week, Garland secured her first win at the main draw of a Grand Slam by battling past American Katie Volynets in three sets at Roland Garros. Tuesday's win was the culmination point of a long journey for the 23-year-old through injury and doubts to reach the pinnacle of tennis.
"I'm still in a little bit of disbelief because I was quite far down in the third set and felt like I didn't have much more to give," Garland said after winning four straight games in the decider to beat her 65th-ranked opponent. "So yeah, quite a bit in disbelief, but of course I'm happy that I won and I really did, going out into the match, I did believe I could pull it off."
After a promising junior career which featured a win over future Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, Garland has endured an up-and-down start to life in the senior tour, missing most of 2024 with injury and dropping out of the top 500.
"I rolled my ankle in practice and I actually did it quite badly," she explained. "Looking back at it, I didn't realize that at the time. I tried coming back too soon and messed it up even more. I really struggled and at times did question whether I was ever going to reach where I am now."
But she fought her way back to fitness and quashed any uncertainty she may have had about continuing by racking up a 29-match ITF winning streak to end last season and reach a career-high ranking.
Now Garland is in the second round of a major, where she will face 32nd seed Yulia Putintseva.
"Obviously, she's a great player. I have a lot of respect for her and I know it's not going to be an easy match at all," Garland said. "I'm just going to try to get myself ready in the best way possible and back myself. That's what I've been doing this whole week. I've been believing in myself and hopefully that can bring out my best tennis."
Should she beat the Kazakh former world number 20, she will likely move on to face the sixth seed and rising star of tennis Mirra Andreeva in the round of 32.
'Strong connection with Taiwan'
Born in England, Garland moved to Taiwan with her parents before her teenage years. However, she said the choice to represent Taiwan rather than Britain was a natural one for her.
"I didn't really give it (choosing her sporting nationality) much thought and neither did my parents," she explained. "I do remember being a 12-year-old and watching the Olympic Games in London and seeing the Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) team walk out and having such a small team. So I told my parents that I felt like the team's so small that I want to represent them in the future."
Britain, as a host nation for one of the four tennis Grand Slams, is a tempting choice for any rising player and representing her country of birth could have provided Garland with an easier route to reaching the main draw of a major earlier in her career.
"I did consider switching nationalities at times," Garland admitted. "But the Taipei federation has supported me financially throughout my whole career. "I wouldn't be here in this position if it wasn't for them. I do feel a strong connection with Taiwan." – AFP
