'I'm just a human being': Maja Chwalinska adjusts to tennis' new reality

LONDON -- When Maja Chwalinska is asked about imposter syndrome in her pre-Wimbledon press conference, she begins nodding before the question is finished.

Chwalinska has been thrust into the spotlight this month after becoming the first qualifier to reach the Roland Garros final in the Open Era. But if Paris was a whirlwind, the reception awaiting her back home was even more overwhelming.

"When I arrived in Warsaw, there were a lot of people at the airport and the next few days were kind of crazy," Chwalinska said. "And I felt like an imposter a bit, like I don't deserve it. Like, guys, it was just one tournament.

"Of course, on one hand, I really appreciate it. It's amazing to feel love and appreciation from people. But on the other, I feel like it's just tennis. And, you know, I'm not a god or anything. I'm just a human being."

Chwalinska isn't intimidated by her new status -- if anything, she seems almost oblivious to it. Seeded No. 20 at Wimbledon, she still hasn't set foot in the seeded players' locker room because, she shrugs, "the regular one is very nice."

Some changes, though, have been impossible to miss. After reaching the Roland Garros final without a single sponsorship deal, she arrived at Wimbledon with three logos adorning the jacket she wore to her press conference.

"But my routines and like priorities, they haven't changed," she said. "There's more attention, which is normal. But I have my priorities set."

Chwalinska is tempering her expectations at Wimbledon. She's not afraid of the surface. Before Roland Garros, her best Slam result came here in 2022, when she qualified and made the second round. She has fond memories of that run, and and she's confident her game can adapt to grass.

Chwalinska's three-week journey from qualifying to the Roland Garros final also took its toll. The physical and emotional strain left her exhausted, stressed and without an appetite. Rather than compete during the grass-court swing, she opted to recharge with friends on the Greek island of Crete.

The break proved just what she needed -- helped along by what she called the "amazing" local food -- but it also means she'll arrive at Wimbledon short on match play when she opens against Thai qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew on Monday.

Few players have arrived at Wimbledon under more unusual circumstances than Chwalinska. She was ranked No. 116 when the entry list closed six weeks ago, meaning she needed a wild card to enter the main draw. Now ranked No. 21, she's also the No. 20 seed. Only Patty Schnyder, in 2004, has previously been both a wild card and a seed at Wimbledon in the Open Era.

But more than anyone else, Chwalinska knows that the distance between a seed and a qualifier isn't as great as many might assume.

"The fact that I'm seeded doesn't really change anything," she said. "Every single player here is very dangerous."

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