When Hsieh Su-Wei walked on the court docket to play doubles on the Miami Open in March along with her accomplice, Elise Mertens, she wasn’t burdened by a cumbersome tennis bag holding half a dozen rackets, an assortment of snacks and a number of modifications of garments and sneakers.
Regardless of being No. 1 on this planet in doubles, Hsieh, 38, wore an outfit that she purchased off the rack and that bore not one of the logos related to profitable sponsorship offers that a lot of her colleagues on the WTA Tour have. Till not too long ago, Hsieh had no supervisor, requiring her to promote herself to sponsors. Her efforts to this point have been unsuccessful.
“It’s not a simple job coping with the sponsorship when the persons are undecided if they will have you ever or not,” stated Hsieh, who usually competes with simply two rackets, which she stated was no drawback since she had by no means damaged one and couldn’t bear in mind the final time she even popped a string. “I don’t wish to waste the time to do it. I simply wish to concentrate on my tennis.”
Hsieh has by no means been consumed by the trimmings of her sport, preferring to journey her personal circuitous path. An achieved singles participant, she ranked a profession excessive No. 23 in 2013 however has by no means gone past the quarterfinals at a serious. She first ascended to No. 1 in doubles in 2014, successful Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014, each with Peng Shuai. She gained her second Wimbledon in 2019 with Barbora Strycova and her third with Mertens two years later.
After leaving the tour for practically 18 months on the finish of 2021 to heal a nagging muscle pressure in her leg that had her considering retirement, Hsieh returned in April of final 12 months and has now gained three of the final 4 majors, every with a unique accomplice. Eventually 12 months’s French Open, she paired with Wang Xinyu, who is sort of 16 years her junior, to win the championship. Hsieh then captured Wimbledon with Strycova.
Final fall, after Strycova retired following the U.S. Open, Mertens messaged Hsieh and requested her to affix forces for this season. The 2 promptly gained the Australian Open in January (Hsieh additionally gained the blended doubles title with Jan Zielinski) and the doubles title on the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in March. That win helped her regain No. 1.
“We actually really feel one another on the court docket and we now have quite a lot of communication,” Mertens stated. “It’s uncommon to search out somebody the place you construct towards one another and can even suppose, ‘Let’s enhance collectively.’”
Hsieh, who retired from singles play this spring, is aware of that her time on tour is working out, however she will not be consumed by that truth. Nothing a lot bothers the native of Taipei, Taiwan, whose type of play, like her character, is at instances exact, explosive and artful. Generally even she doesn’t know what shot she’ll hit and when.
She hits with each palms off each side, a method necessitated by her slight body when she began enjoying along with her father at age 5. She glides effortlessly to the web and perpetually eyes alternatives to sneak in and knock off volley winners. Her tour mates name her Wizard for her confounding shotmaking.
Hsieh not has a gentle coach, although Paul McNamee accompanies her to the majors, together with this French Open. At dwelling in Paris, the place she has lived for nearly a decade, she usually practices along with her boyfriend, Frederic Aniere, often at Roland Garros. On the highway she is usually joined by her brother, Hsieh Cheng-peng, and his tennis-playing kids. She finds that having totally different voices in her ear helps preserve the sport contemporary.
Hsieh would like to signify Taiwan within the Paris Olympics this July, one thing she has not finished since 2012 when she misplaced within the first spherical in singles and the quarterfinals in doubles.
“Successful the Grand Slams is the primary precedence for me,” she stated. “However I at all times wish to win a medal for Taiwan. For me, that may be one thing particular.”
After touring the world for practically 1 / 4 of a century, Hsieh was requested what stored her going. She set free amusing.
“That’s a superb query, as a result of I’m asking myself what I’m doing right here,” she stated. “I simply attempt to take pleasure in first and the reply will come out sometime. I’m not in a rush.”