In the week marked by the kick-off of the Women’s World Cup, the spotlight turns to the admirable women of the sport. Unfortunately, the light cast upon them shines dimly and almost disappears when seen next to her who praises and uplifts male players and athletes, whether in the world cup, tennis championships, or any other sport.

In March 2021, the American university Purdue carried out a study which proved, with figures, the huge disparity between men and women when it comes to visibility in sport. According to the document, the place given to women’s sport in the world’s media has hardly changed since the 1980s. In 1989, only 5% of sports coverage was devoted to women, 30 years later, in 2019, the number reached an inexpressive 5.4%.

Low visibility, lack of government initiatives and cultural and historical factors related to the role of women in society mean that women’s sport is relegated to the background, both for sponsors and for the public. In such a scenario, the conquests of the tennis player Beatrice Haddad, 27 from São Paulo, becomes even more commendable and inspiring. Your success story has great transformative potential.

Brazilian tennis regains international notoriety

Despite her young age, Bia, as the sportswoman is called, is already considered a national phenomenon. For many, it is now her responsibility to restore Brazilian tennis to international fame. Alongside him are names like Maria Esther Bueno – one of the few in the world of tennis to have won titles in three different decades, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s – and Gustavo Kuerten, aka Guga, who was three times champion of the disputed French tournament at Roland Garros.

The young Brazilian, however, does not embellish herself with the ovations: “I never compare myself to them. What they have done is unique, but I feel honored and grateful to represent Brazil and women, just like Maria Esther did, and to be able to have a voice today”, underlines Bia in a conversation that we had in the action that the athlete carried out with a sponsor in São Paulo.

Beatriz Haddad’s accomplishments include major campaigns at two of the most prestigious tournaments in world tennis: Wimbledon, England, and Roland Garros, France. Last year in Toronto, Bia was vice-champion of the WTA 1000, the highest category of the women’s professional tennis circuit, after the Grand Slams, the traditional tournaments in France, England, Australia and the United States. The road to the podium on Canadian soil included victories against top female tennis players such as Swiss Olympic champion Belinda Bencic and current world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland. With these victories, Bia became the first Brazilian woman in history to win a world number 1, the only one to have played in a WTA 1000 final and today occupies the 13th position in the ATP world ranking, which officially ranks professional tennis players according to their performances.

Haddad’s accomplishments are impressive and are the result of a lot of passion, hard work, resilience and talent, but nothing would be possible without the support of his family. The current Brazilian tennis star is the third generation in his family to take this path, his mother and grandmother were also professional tennis players. “Maybe my grandmother is the strongest person I know, it was thanks to her and my grandfather that tennis appeared in my life,” says Bia. “My family has always supported me. And I think that’s why I’m doing what I love and I’m happy,” concludes Bia.