Every now and then, an athlete comes along at the big stage, following a path that is truly is theirs. Either really young, before anyone expected them to or, by conventional wisdom, at an age when they are not meant to create such paths. When it happens, the world will sit up and take notice.
In 2021, in Melbourne, in the wonderfully unpredictable world of women’s tennis, it is the turn of – Hsieh Su-wei to make her way into uncharted territory. In an era of regimented game plans, strict training regimes, nutritionists and pre-match routines, here is a player who is refreshingly going her own way.
“She’s a free spirit,” said long-time coach Paul McNamee after Taipei’s Hsieh became the oldest woman in the Open era to debut in the quarter-finals of a Slam.
“That’s the same with her tennis. She kind of acts on a whim sometimes, doesn’t like to plan too far ahead.”
Australian Open wins over US Open quarter-finalist Tsvetana Pironkova, eighth seed Bianca…