SAO PAULO – When you arrive at a major tournament and you are ranked 214th in the world, thinking about lifting the championship trophy is beyond unrealistic. Unless you’re 19 years old, your name is Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah, and you’re the WTA 250 champion in Sao Paulo.
‘It’s incredible. It’s incredible. I wasn’t the favourite in this tournament,’ the 19-year-old Frenchwoman told CLAY after defeating Indonesia’s Janice Tjen 6-3, 6-4.
‘I played match by match, point by point. I could have lost in the first round. So, yes, I’m very happy and grateful for what I did and what happened here. I know a champion like me is unusual, but I fought for every point and every match, so I think I deserve it.’
Rakotomanga Rajaonah was born in Madagascar and has had French nationality since birth. She admits to being dazzled by Brazilian footballer Neymar – not for his football skills – and handles every situation in the exhausting post-victory rituals with speed and authority.
If you go to the WTA website, the Frenchwoman appears with a minimal description and no photo. Instead, there is a black silhouette.
‘I don’t even know how that works, maybe they’ll put a photo, maybe they won’t, I don’t know.’
The life of the champion of South America’s biggest tournament has been eventful.
‘I moved around a lot, but I was only born in Madagascar. My ancestors are from Madagascar, but I am French. It’s as if everyone thinks I’m not French. I see a lot of things like that, saying yes, she’s from Madagascar, she came to France. But no, I’ve had dual nationality from the beginning. And my name is typically Malagasy.’
Her first name, Tiantsoa, ‘is not a common name,’ she admits, before explaining its meaning: ‘The beloved.’
But she is also called Sarah.
“Yes, because my name is Tiantsoa Sarah, it’s my middle name. When I was little, about eight years old, my mother asked me if I wanted to be called Sarah or Tiantsoa. And I don’t know why I said Sarah. So, since then, everyone has called me Sarah in tennis. At school they called me Tiantsoa.‘
The Frenchwoman’s tennis is loose, she plays ’easy”.
‘I don’t know what to say about my game. I play a lot on instinct. And now I’m trying to plan more, to be more consistent with what I do. I definitely have a certain ease, but I also work hard.’
That “instinctive” tennis has another advantage: the fact that she is left-handed.
‘It’s a big advantage and now I’m starting to learn how to use it. Yes.’
