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Beatriz Haddad Maia admits to struggling with confidence despite her successful tennis career, including a top-10 ranking and a Roland Garros semifinal. She reflects on her nerves and doubts, revealing a more complex inner experience than her outward achievements suggest.
September 1, 2025, Flushing Meadows, New York, USA: Beatriz Haddad Maia reacts after losing a game lead during a match against Amanda Anisimova on Day 9 of the 2025 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Monday September 1, 2025 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. JAVIER ROJAS/PI Flushing Meadows USA - ZUMAp124 20250901_zaa_p124_169 Copyright: xJavierxRojasx ©IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire
There is a version of Beatriz Haddad Maiaâs career that looks, from the outside, like sustained excellence. A top-10 ranking. A Roland Garros semifinal. Success on the WTA Tour. The most successful Brazilian tennis player of her generation, widely regarded as the player who lifted the sportâs profile in her country more than anyone since Gustavo Kuerten. On the surface, the story is of a player who found her best. On the inside, itâs always been more complicated.
Speaking toPunto de Break at the Mutua Madrid Open after a first-round loss to Jessica Bouzas, which she described as playing âfar below the level Iâve been training atâ, Haddad Maia was honest in a way that recast that âbest of timesâ in her career.
âEven back then, winning a lot of matches and taking several third sets, I was never the most confident player. I always had my nerves, my doubts, like everyone else,â she said.
The admission is striking because itâs coming from someone talking about the pinnacle of her career. The anxiety and insecurity she is talking about didnât come about as a result of her current form slump â it was there during her peak. The circumstances have changed, though. âNow I feel a little less confident. Itâs the consequence of not winning many matches, especially compared to my record in previous years,â she acknowledged.
Beatriz Haddad Maia confessed that she has never been the most confident player, despite her success on the WTA Tour.
She is regarded as the most successful Brazilian tennis player of her generation, significantly raising the sport's profile in Brazil.
Her achievements include a top-10 ranking and reaching the semifinals at Roland Garros.
She lost in the first round to Jessica Bouzas at the Mutua Madrid Open, expressing that she played below her training level.

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The slump she is currently experiencing has been one of the biggest declines in form on the WTA Tour in recent years. After ranking as high as world No. 10 and reaching the semifinals of Roland Garros in 2023, she has dropped out of the top 50 â a plunge that prompted a major shake-up of her support team and a period of intense introspection, which she spoke about with more openness than most.
Tennis: French Open Jun 5 2023 Paris,France Beatriz Haddad Maia BRA reacts during a match against Sara Sorribes Tormo ESP on day nine at Stade Roland-Garros. Paris Stade Roland-Garros France, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xSusanxMullanex 20230605_gma_au2_0207
âTennis isnât something you forget, but many things happen in life. Right now, Iâm going through a very personal process â I need to get to know myself more deeply. The things I want, the things Iâve been through, and the traumas I carry. Iâm a very passionate person in my daily life; my energy is always above 100%, and sometimes I even have to slow down a bit to avoid falling into anxiety. Now Iâm in a moment of self-discovery,â she said.
What has kept her grounded through it is a refusal to catastrophize. Asked point-blank whether she had ever doubted her ability â whether she had ever wondered âwhat if Iâm not that good?â â she had an instant reply.
âNo, never. When you lose and leave the tournament, youâre sad. When you get to the hotel, certain thoughts are inevitable, but I always tried to be positive. In my mind, I kept all the good things I achieved for myself and my country, all the doors I opened, creating new tournaments, bringing more junior players out, increasing support throughout the entire structure. I think I took tennis to another level in my country, so Iâm very proud of everything I did.â
She nailed the line that sums up the situation with the elegance that is possible only when one has given it genuine consideration. âThatâs tennis, itâs incredibly tough. If it were easy, everyone would be in the top 10.â
The biggest dream, she made clear, has not diminished. âI still hold onto the biggest dream possible: winning a Grand Slam. That drives me and motivates me.â
Madrid ended quickly and painfully. But Haddad Maia left the Caja MĂĄgica still smiling. âIâm happy with everything I do. Those close to me know Iâm someone who gives 120% every day. That helps me go to sleep peacefully.â
The Brazilian moved to another town in Spain to play a WTA 125 event after an early exit in Madrid. She is currently in the third round of the tournament, having defeated Andrea Lazaro Gracia and Ashlyn Krueger in the previous rounds. The world No. 69 would be facing Marina Bassols Ribera in the quarterfinals today.
The rebuild has been carefully crafted. Carlos MartĂnez, the Spanish coach who has worked with LoĂŻs Boisson and is renowned for his ability to nurture talent, is at its core. The invitation came from Haddad Maia.
âSeveral coaches contacted me after I stopped working with my former coach, but the first person I reached out to was Carlos. At the time, he was working with LoĂŻs Boisson, so I traveled alone for a couple of weeks, waiting to see what would happen. I always hoped Carlos would be able to give me an answer. I really liked his attitude; he was very respectful of his players,â she said.
They have just started to work together, three or four weeks ago, but Haddad Maia was immediately struck by the intensity Martinez brings to the job. âWhat impresses me most is his passion for tennis. I arrived at his academy at 8:00 in the morning and he was already on the court, but he didnât leave until 7:00 PM. Another day he trained for eight hours straight, without eating or drinking; heâs even capable of forgetting to drink water. When heâs on the court, he forgets about the clock.â
The shared cultural connection has made communication easier than it might otherwise have been. âSpeaking the same language is essential for communicating and expressing everything thatâs on our minds. Brazilian culture is very similar to ours; we share that Latin heart,â she laughed.
In addition to the coaching, Haddad Maia has made another commitment that is becoming more common for players who are going through a difficult period, but will stand out for how fully Haddad Maia has embraced it. She has taken a break from social media.
âRight now Iâm off all social media. I only use WhatsApp to talk to my family. Iâm someone who cares a lot about people, I always want to respond to everyone, but there came a point where I was only paying attention to the outside world and not listening to my inner self. I need to be more present. I havenât opened Instagram in over a month,â she said.
Itâs part of a broader shift: away from distraction, towards introspection, towards the process she and MartĂnez are working on. The Madrid results didnât show it. But the 29-year-old has been around too long not to know that the fruits donât always come fast.
âI know itâs a process that will take time, so now itâs time to be patient and work hard to turn these results around. You have to keep thinking day by day that, at any moment, everything can turn in your favour. Staying positive is key,â she concluded.
The top 10, which she had once called home, is far away. But the player who was there once, while not always feeling like she âdeservedâ to be there, is working again. This time around, perhaps even better than before.
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