Australian Open 2020: Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, 14, from microstate Andorra puts her name on the map with title

At 14, most kids are mainly focused on their studies and their upcoming board examinations, a 14-year-old girl from one of the smallest countries in the world made history by winning the Australian Open Juniors Girls Singles title on Rod Laver Arena.

Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva became the first girl from Andorra to win a Grand Slam singles title in tennis. Braving the odds and the ever-changing weather of Melbourne, the confident youngster defeated Weronika Baszak of Poland in the final, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.

She showed no signs of slowing down or losing any confidence despite being a set down. This was not the first time she made such a comeback. Previously, in the third round and quarterfinals, she did pretty much the same, saving three match points in the third round as well.

“I stayed positive and kept on fighting and that’s how I won. It was hard to play in the heat early on in the tournament but you have to get used to it. I have no excuse because the heat affects both me and my opponent, so I just go with it,” she said.

Congrats Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva!

The 14 year-old from Andorra wins the #AO2020 Junior Girls' Singles title, def. Baszak 5-7 6-2 6-2.#AO2020 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/cdhkNXtD5b

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 1, 2020

It’s no surprise that Rafael Nadal is one of her idols and that she draws inspiration from his fighting spirit.

“I like Rafa Nadal, he is the best tennis player. I prefer Rafa over Federer. And in the girls, I like Petra Kvitova. My game is my game but I like Kvitova’s return and that’s what I look at. I like Nadal’s fighting spirit and the fact that he never complains,” she said.

Kasintseva is aware of the improvements she needs to make in her game. She also knows when to tweak her game, based on her opponents, which is quite mature for someone who is just aged 14.

“My serve speed is extremely low right now, my father told me. I change my serve speed according to the opponent. In the quarters, the girl I was playing against liked when I served fast, so I put more spin on it,” she said.

Making Andorra proud 

The population of Andorra is approximately 77,000. To put that into context, it is approximately 245 times smaller than the population of Mumbai. She spends a lot of time in Barcelona, practising in her father’s tennis academy but when asked if she would go on to represent Spain or Andorra in the future, she chose the latter, without any hesitation.

“It’s a small country and I’m really happy to be from there and I’m proud to represent them and it’s a pleasure for me,” she says.

However, the downside of living and playing in such a small country is the availability of tennis courts and necessary infrastructure. Kasintseva travels to Barcelona, which is a few hours away from Andorra, in order to practise on the clay courts and hard courts.

Travelling so often to another country, which is a few hours away from where she’s staying is quite a commitment. However, given her love for the sport and the will to win and get to the top, Kasintseva loves the challenge of constantly travelling and working on her game.

“There are no clay courts in Andorra, there are just hard courts but they are outdoor and it’s always freezing and it’s covered in ice most of the time so you cannot even play. There is just one single grass court."

“It’s positive because if you’re good, you get to travel to Barcelona and practise, like what I did. But if you don’t believe in yourself and if you’re not committed, you probably won’t feel like going all the way to Barcelona, so you need to stay positive and be committed,” she said.

😘🏆

Enjoy the moment, Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva!#AO2020 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/3Tsm4S8qVp

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 1, 2020

Andorra is known for its skiing. Thus, it comes as no surprise that most of the support from the government goes to those participating in winter sports. Tennis continues to be relatively unknown in the country but with Victoria’s win, things may just change. Prior to her Australian Open win, she did win a few other titles, including the U-13 Roland Garros.

Right now, she receives some support from the government. However, her father hopes that the support would increase in the future, especially given her recent success, not just in Australia.

“We started from nothing, from the very bottom. Our country is for skiing, not for tennis. I played tennis for many years, not in Andorra but Barcelona. I was an ATP player but not very good, ranked 505.”

“When she was four, we moved to the States and that’s where she started playing tennis. When she was 9, we moved back to Andorra.”

“Now, the government is helping us a little bit. But again, not a lot of help because we are a country of skiing. We have also been sponsored by Nike and Wilson and are getting a lot of help from them,” he says.

Kasintseva is not the only tennis player to have her father as her coach. Sofia Kenin, the newly crowned Australian Open champion, is coached by her father Alexander. As is Alexander Zverev who reached the semi-finals before going out to Dominic Thiem. Having such a close family member as your coach can be a bit tricky at times, as Sascha himself has said in the past. Kasintseva feels the same but is extremely grateful for all that her father has done for her.

“My father is the one who helps me the most since he is here. We have some ups and downs - more when we are training. It is difficult to have a father as a coach because you always see him so you get tired of him. But he is my father and I respect him a lot and I wouldn’t be here without him so I try to calm down when I want to get mad at him. He is my tennis,” she said.

For now, Kasintseva will go back home and focus on her studies for a couple of months before she starts travelling again and making the small nation of Andorra proud.