The Dane is evolving, and dreaming big
©Cédric Lecocq / FFTClara Tauson was only 17 in 2020 when she qualified for her first Roland-Garros main draw and shocked then-world No.25 Jennifer Brady in an opening-round thriller on Court Simonne-Mathieu. Tall and powerful with a streamlined attack, she was quickly ticketed by pundits for the top of the women's game.
That promise was fulfilled in 2021. Still shy of 19, Tauson won titles in Lyon and Luxembourg and rose more than 100 spots in the rankings. But a precipitous drop would soon follow.
Months after the Copenhagen native peaked in the rankings at No.33 in 2022, injuries caused a lack of confidence and she plummeted back down outside the top 100.
Two years later, 21-year-old Tauson returns to the scene of her first Grand Slam triumph with wisdom and renewed confidence.
“I feel a bit old,” she told Rolandgarros.com on Friday with a laugh after defeating Sofia Kenin to reach her maiden round of 16 at the majors. “I’ve been here for some years. But I’m still young, it’s an amazing feeling – getting through to the second week of a Slam is something different and I felt that today. Hopefully this can happen more consistently.”
Tauson, now coached by Lars Christensen, the former coach of Dane Holger Rune, is seeking – and finding – her truth in tennis in 2024.
“I think I have always been very true to my playing style, but when you're young, you're very impressionable,” she told the media. “You want to learn everything at the same time. But now I know my body, how it works, my mental, and how I'm supposed to play with what I have. I'm never going to be Iga or anybody like that…”
© Remy Chautard/FFTTauson, who formerly trained at Justine Henin's academy in Belgium under coach Olivier Jeunehomme, says that Christensen is a voice of reason in her camp. She likes that he encourages her to play to her strengths.
“I think he gives me freedom in my creative side,” she says. “I think I can play a bit more of the way I want to, and that's what we're working with.”
Tauson has defeated former Grand Slam champions – Jelena Ostapenko and Kenin – in back-to-back matches in Paris, and will face three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur in the last 16. It’s a big step for the world No.72 to arrive at such an important match, especially given the ups and downs she has experienced already on tour, and the competition she has faced this week in Paris.
“It feels amazing, honestly,” she said. “I was almost moved to tears when I won today. That's never happened before. It was really emotional for me. I’ve had a couple of tries getting into the fourth round. I think today I did everything I could and I left everything out there, so I’m pleased.”
Tauson, an astute watcher of tennis and a self-described tennis nerd, says that she gleans a lot from watching top WTA talents like Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina these days.
“I definitely relate more to Elena and Aryna just because of their size,” she says.
At six feet tall, she sees similarities in game style as she studies Sabalenka and Rybakina’s strengths.
“They are as tall as me,” she says. “It’s just different when you are a tall woman, it’s a different game. Seeing these kinds of players doing as well as they are – they are so solid every single week, they are in the semis and finals, it’s inspiring.
“That's kind of the level I aspire to.”
Tauson also says she admires Rybakina’s demeanor and mentality, an area of her game that she is still working to perfect.
“I look at Elena for her calmness,” she says. “It’s insane how she’s so calm. I’ve been working a lot on that, trying to stay calm, and I think she’s exceptional at that. I don’t know how she does it, containing her emotions, she’s just ice.”
© Corinne Dubreuil/FFTTauson sees her achievements this week as a sign that her hard work is paying off, but she believes bigger things are going to come.
“I think I have the skill and the talent to be even higher in the rankings, but you need to practise against these kinds of players and play a lot of matches, and I don't get the chance too often,” she said. “So I have to win matches to be able to play these kinds of players.”
She may feel like a veteran on tour, but at 21 she's got plenty of time to grow her game and reach new heights.
“I think I can get even better,” she says. “It's just about consistency. I know I can beat these kinds of players, but I have to beat them every week.”
With a game defined by eye-catching power off both wings, Tauson is a tough draw against any player, on any surface. But her secret weapon is a different kind of power.
“I think my superpower is that I have a lot of emotion,” she says. “I try to contain it but I have a lot of emotion and a lot of power. In the toughest moments I think I am the best.”
ROLAND-GARROS
19 May - 8 June 2025
