Camila Osorio is no exception to the rule. In the current women’s tennis circuit, which the Australian Ashleigh Barty left a year ago as the number one player for seeking her personal development, it is clear that one’s own well-being takes precedence over the sporting demand, as unfortunately it was not in other time. And the cucuteña, the best female racket player in Colombia, at 21 years old, is aware of that.
Osorio lived in 2022 a season full of ups and downs. A promising start in the first tournaments in Mexico, which led her to be number 33 in the world ranking, ended up being diluted with a battle against her own body in the Colsanitas Cup, in Bogotá. Then, not counting her duel against the Chinese Qinwen Zheng in San Diego (USA), her flute did not sound again. And she didn’t do it because her owner wasn’t well.
This is how the tennis player confessed to EL TIEMPO, before starting her 2023 at the Australian Open, in which she hopes to start the path back to the pleasure of playing.
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Camila Osorio leaves her skin
You ended last season earlier than expected due to illness and this year you dropped out of the first tournament due to an overload… How are you?
Last year, in the end, it was a general malaise that caused me not to go to Colina (Chile), where it was the last tournament. This year he was a slight nuisance for the tournament in Hobart, and playing like that is not right. Today I am much better.
2022 was the year in which he reached his best position in the ranking so far, 33 in the world…
That was incredible. When the best ranking came about, I had just had very good weeks in Mexico, I felt great and I was playing well. After that final in Monterrey, it was very good to see myself ahead, I reached that ranking and at first I felt very good. Unfortunately, injuries and other things came that prevented me from maintaining myself, but I feel very grateful for what I learned and am learning.
How have you coped with the injuries?
The injuries have been pretty frustrating. Mentally it is very hard because I felt that I was going to take the step, but my body did not support me. Last year there came a time when I complained a lot, and I’m not like that. I began to work a lot on the physical side, with the physical therapist’s supervision, and although the results were not given to us at the beginning, I managed to gain confidence. By the end of last year, on the tour in the United States, I managed to overcome the mental barrier of fearing injuries and let go of tennis more. Fortunately, I closed the season without pain and now I hope to continue like this.
Why do you think you couldn’t keep up the momentum of the start all year?
Tennis is mental. To take advantage of the moments of the game, you have to have a lot of confidence. I think that the more things were happening to me, the more I was losing. The personal issue was not easy. My grandfather died in the middle of the tournament, in Birmingham, and I told my mother: ‘Let’s go back’, and she said no. Still, mentally I couldn’t stay focused. It is true that it was my second year as a professional, but I have to find, yes or yes, my regularity. It’s not just getting there, you have to stay. It is not playing a week like one of the top and then not…
It must not have been easy to play while dealing with his grandfather’s departure…
At the time, I really didn’t know what to do. I said: ‘I want to go’, ‘I want to see him’, but I remembered the experience of my grandmother, who passed away four years ago, and I said to myself: ‘I don’t want to live this again, to see a person I love like this, that this be my last memory of him, no’. Although I thought about going back, I saw my mother badly and well, she repeated to me: ‘I must be strong because she must see me well.’ The environment was very tough and difficult, I don’t know how I managed it.
By then he also closed a cycle after almost three years with coach Ricardo Sánchez. Why did they open roads?
With Richie we did very well and I am grateful for everything we did and worked for. His dedication is incredible and I will always be grateful, but a cycle came to an end, and we both decided not to continue. Many things happened in my life and I needed to take a breath of everything, I needed to breathe a little, with so many things in my head nothing flows. Likewise, what Richie has done with me and with Colombian tennis has been incredible, I learned a lot from him.
Then you were accompanied for a few days by the Frenchman Romain Deridder… what was that experience like?
It was something different, but it felt really good. He is French and then I had to speak English. I felt super-top ‘spending’ English (laughs), but being serious: it was very cool. He likes to spend a lot of time on the court and is always willing to help.
And what happened? Why didn’t he make it official as his coach?
Finally I opted for Albert (Costa), a tennis player with a long history and knowledge to contribute to my career.
Right now she is with an international coach and international sponsor… what can be missing to consolidate herself as a top in the world?
In tennis, I think everything. What has made me win has been a lot of grit, not giving up anything, but I am already aware that I have to play more aggressive tennis, I have to come out more from the background, I cannot run behind the line and defend. In the last tournaments of last year I started to shoot a little more, something that I didn’t do before, so I think I should go from defense to attack. Of course I’m not a giant, like the other players who are 1.85 meters tall and their serve goes a thousand an hour (laughs), but I have to use my weapons, move more than they move, boost the serve much more, among other things. stuff.
The serve has been one of those points to improve…
But look, the serve is a matter of great confidence, when I’m calm I serve well, but when I don’t… (laughs). You have to be consistent and more aggressive. Of course, I must continue working on the mental part, I already started with a psychologist and we have to hope that everything goes well
How was that work with the psychologist?
The truth is, you can have the best professionals by your side, but if you don’t believe in yourself, and do it yourself, it’s useless. He took very little with him, he has experience with other athletes and I trust that we will do well. It’s cool to have a voice that gives you confidence, that encourages you to believe, because it’s not the same that your mother or brother tells you… than someone from outside! (laughs). He also believes in God a lot and that’s the main thing for me, so it’s great.
Are you feeling good about how your 2022 went?
Phew, in terms of titles and stuff, I hadn’t set any goals before I started. Last year I said to myself: ‘I want to win titles and go up in the ranking’, but nothing specific; instead, by 2021, I said to myself, ‘I want to be in the top 100.’ And i did it. It’s good to set goals to go for them. I don’t feel bad because I managed to get out of a mental and emotional rut that I had, I was able to continue and smile again, which I hadn’t done for a long time. In terms of results, it wasn’t the best, but overall I learned a lot to make myself stronger.
And this year what is the big goal?
My goal this year is to be among the top 20 in the world and fight for the titles. I want to fight for the trophies and win the big ones, that’s what I plan to do.
ANDRES FELIPE BALAGUERA SARMIENTO
SPORTS JOURNALIST EL TIEMPO
Networking: @balagueraaa
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