Roland-Garros often gives us great stories and this year, it may well be the case for Leolia Jeanjean. The 26-year-old French girl will try to imitate her illustrious predecessors, like Hugo Gaston, who made a name for themselves with the French public by achieving exploits in the Parisian Grand Slam tournament. However, everything seemed simple for the Montpellier when she was younger. Considered one of the greatest talents in the world, she is presented as the future of French tennis. Unfortunately, a serious injury will change everything.
When she was 14, Léolia Jeanjean was to be victim of a triple dislocation of the patellashe was literally dropped by the French Tennis Federation (FFT) and its sponsors, as explained in a report shot for France 2. The young sportswoman fell into oblivion when she was already thinking of becoming one of the future stars of his sport. “Everything came to an abrupt end and I took it badly. I was a little lost, I didn’t really know what to do with my life”, she says today. She finally decides to fly to the United States and the University of Lynn in Florida.
I was living with the RSA and the APL and I was not living day by day, but week by week
With a degree in finance, she finally decided to try her luck in tennis, with the aim of joining the top 100 in the world. “I lived with the RSA (Active Solidarity Income) and the APL (Personalized Housing Assistance) and I did not live from day to day, but week after week. I put all the money I had to go for a week tournament and if it went well it paid me another week, if it went badly I was not going to play for two months because financially it was impossible”, she recalls. A delicate, but formative period for the one who will face the Czech and seeded number 8, Karolina Pliskova tomorrow. “I took over with the knife between my teeth”concludes Leolia Jeanjean.
A life course like no other for the young French player, who had to face difficult trials to get here today.