Beatriz Haddad Maia: The Rise of Brazil’s Tennis Star – Complete Profile
This tennis player is distinguished not only by significant achievements but also by a difficult fate. Let’s get to know Beatriz Haddad-Maia better and find out who she really is.
Early Life and Background
Beatriz Haddad-Maia was born on the 30th of May in 1996 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She has been surrounded by tennis since her childhood.
Her mother, Lais Scaff Haddad, and grandmother, Arlette Scaff Haddad, were both professional tennis players. At the age of five, she began her career on the court.
Beatriz’s highest junior ranking was fifteenth place in the singles ranking.
At the same time, the aspiring athlete tried her hand at the ITF, and not without success: in 2010, she won her first career doubles trophy, and a year later, she secured the title of a 10-thousander in Goiania.
Even before Haddad-Maia turned professional, it was obvious that she would definitely prove herself in doubles.
The most notable successes of the talented junior came in the doubles draws of Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2011-2013: in clay competitions among girls, she reached the final twice, and on grass courts, she finished her performance at the semi-final stage.
Professional Career
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Career Beginnings
In 2014, Beatriz Haddad-Maia moved to the adult tour, taking second place in the list of the most successful tennis players in the country in the same season.
It is worth noting that the tennis player’s debut in the WTA took place the season before at the Brazilian Cup, where she was able to win one match of the main tournament.
In February 2015, the 18-year-old Brazilian made it to the quarterfinals of the tournament in Rio de Janeiro.
She easily beat the representative of the Top-100, Polona Hercog.
It might be possible that the match against Sara Errani could have ended in favor of the Brazilian, who earned three match points, but she was unable to finish it due to an injury.
In Bogota, Beatriz was luckier: together with Paula Cristina Gonçalves, they won their debut WTA trophy, beating Irina Falconi and Shelby Rogers in the final.
Then came a move to Europe to participate in the Roland Garros qualification, which, however, not only did not bring the tennis player the desired success but also resulted in a shoulder injury.
After returning home and consulting with doctors, Beatriz agreed to an operation that would leave her out of the game until the next season.
By the summer of 2016, she had lost almost 200 ranking positions but was able to score enough points at the 50-thousand tournaments in Scottsdale and Waco, ending the year at 170th place in the singles ranking.
Breakthrough and Rise
2017 brought Beatriz Haddad-Maia not only another WTA doubles trophy but also her first significant victories on tour.
The European clay court segment was especially successful for her: in Prague, Beatriz reached the quarterfinals, successively beating Christina McHale and Samantha Stosur, who were significantly higher in the rankings than her, and a little later, she won her debut 100-thousand-dollar tournament in Cagnes-sur-Mer.
The athlete arrived at the qualifying round of the French Open as a top-100 player and, for the first time in her career, overcame the qualifying stage, earning a place in the main tournament.
A month later, Haddad-Maia made it to the second round of Wimbledon, becoming the first Brazilian tennis player in 28 years to overcome the opening round of a prestigious major.
In fall, the organizers of the Korean Open gave her a special invitation to the main draw of the tournament, and they were right: Beatrice confidently reached the final, where she lost to the current Roland Garros champion, Jelena Ostapenko.
Having finished 2017 at 65th place in the singles rankings, Haddad-Maia started with a victory in the first round of the Australian Open, but her results soon began to deteriorate.
Only at the tournament in Miami did the Brazilian manage to win two matches in a row, and even the transition to clay did not help to improve the situation.
In Charleston, the tennis player did not finish the first-round match due to a wrist injury, and later, doctors diagnosed her with a spinal injury, which required another surgical intervention.
Having fallen out of the top 100, Haddad-Maia began 2019 in Australia but at first, did not show convincing results.
The Brazilian managed to get into acceptable shape only by the start of the tournament in Acapulco, where she reached the quarterfinals.
The start of the clay section gave the athlete’s fans hope for her return to her previous positions, but the semi-final of the tournament in Bogota turned into a real nightmare: Beatriz was soon tested positive for doping, which became the beginning of a long investigation.
Immediately after Wimbledon, the tennis player was suspended from all competitions until the end of the investigation.
Only in the winter of the following year was an official announcement made, which stated that prohibited substances, namely anabolic agents, had entered the athlete’s body through a food supplement, the composition of which she was not aware.
Since this case was not isolated (in particular, Marcelo Demoliner and Thomas Bellucci had previously encountered similar cases), Haddad-Maya was not released from liability, but the disqualification period was reduced from several years to ten months.
Major Achievements
Beatriz Haddad-Maia has reached the finals of WTA 250 and larger events four times. She already has two victories under her belt:
- Nottingham, UK (grass) – 2022;
- Birmingham, UK (grass) – 2022;
The tennis player won another title at the WTA 125 in Saint-Malo (also in 2022).
She is also doing well in the ITF. Over the years of her active career, Beatriz Haddad-Maia has managed to take part in 25 final matches, winning 17 titles:
- Goiania, Brazil (clay) – 2011;
- Ribeirao Preto, Brazil (hard) – 2012;
- Ribeirao Preto, Brazil (clay) – 2013;
- Antalya, Turkey (hard) – 2013;
- Scottsdale, USA (indoor hard) – 2016;
- Waco, USA (hard) – 2016;
- Clare, Australia (hard) – 2017;
- Cagnes-sur-Mer, France (clay) – 2017;
- Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal (hard) – 2020;
- Santarem, Portugal (hard) – 2020;
- Porto, Portugal (hard) – 2020;
- Funchal, Portugal (hard) – 2020;
- Villa Maria, Argentina (clay) – 2021;
- Cordoba, Argentina (clay) – 2021;
- Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal (hard) – 2021;
- Collonges-Bellerive, Switzerland (clay) – 2021;
- Montreux, Switzerland (clay) – 2021.
She also represented Brazil at the Olympic Games, which is a great honor for any athlete.
Playing Style and Techniques
Beatriz Haddad Maia has a rare technique: being left-handed, she hits her backhand with both hands.
The tennis player’s height (185 cm) and ability to adapt make it equally convenient for her to play on both clay and hard courts.
Beatriz is known for her varied and technical style of play. She has good baseline shots, a strong service, and the ability to manage the game on the court.
Her physical fitness and strategic thinking allow her to compete effectively against strong opponents.
Off-Court Activities
It is obvious that Beatriz devotes most of her time to training.
This was especially evident after her injuries and disqualification.
When she returned, she took full advantage of her chance. Hard training yielded results, and the tennis player’s performance increased significantly.
Beatriz Haddad Maia is also actively involved in various charitable and social initiatives, supporting the development of tennis in Brazil and promoting its popularization among young people.
She is an important example for young tennis players in her country.
Challenges and Controversies
Beatriz’s path has not been smooth. During her career, she ended the season early three times to undergo surgeries.
She had two broken bones in her back and shoulder problems.
So, due to various injuries, she took several breaks in her career for several months.
Then, she did not play for another year, and it is very difficult to improve or at least maintain a high level when you are constantly returning after breaks.
However, Haddad Maia is known not because of her extensive medical history but for other amazing facts.
Firstly, she is tall – 185 cm. In the current WTA top 100, only two tennis players are taller.
At the same time, Haddad Maia plays a lot of long matches, which is not typical for tall players, who usually have enough power to finish rallies quickly.
But the main thing in Haddad Maia’s story is, of course, the doping disqualification she received in the summer of 2019 when two types of anabolic steroids were found in her sample.
The tennis player faced a disqualification of up to two years.
In February 2020, the ITF traditionally ruled that the banned drugs entered the tennis player’s body by accident, without any negligence on her part – her nutritional supplements were contaminated with anabolics.
Haddad Maia was suspended for ten months.
Impact on Brazilian Tennis and Global Presence
Brazil is traditionally famous for its love for football. Young people in this country dream of becoming the next Ronaldo or Beckham. Few people pay attention to tennis.
However, Beatriz Haddad Maia was able to change this.
She showed her compatriots what can be achieved with hard work.
Her fans believe that her example alone has done a lot for the development of tennis in the country.
We should also not forget about the prestige of the country, which Beatriz defended at international competitions and the Olympics.
What’s Next for Beatriz Haddad Maia
Beatriz’s main dream is about getting the highest possible place in the rankings and winning Grand Slam tournaments.
She managed to get only to the semi-finals. However, experts believe that she is at the peak of her form, and further achievements will not be long in the future.
In addition, Beatriz says that she is not going to look back in the past.
She has fully rehabilitated herself after the scandal and is no longer going to jeopardize her career.
Conclusion
This extraordinary tennis player shows by her example that you should never give up.
Her career was on the verge of ending several times, but she still found the strength to fight on.
Now her name is known all over the world. And despite the doping scandal, Beatriz Haddad Maia is in great shape now.
