Rising star at Rafa Nadal Academy reveals support from Rafael Nadal
Alina Korneeva is one of the future stars of women’s tennis, but she is the first to admit that the last two years have been challenging following her initial breakthrough in 2023.
Aged just 15 years old, Korneeva won the Australian Open girls’ trophy after beating fellow Russian Mirra Andreeva in the final and just days before turning 16 she won the French Open junior title, this time getting the better of Lucciana Perez Alarcon.
Andreeva – who is one month younger than Koreeva – has gone on to be one of the top players on the WTA Tour as she has won two WTA 1000 titles and has peaked at No 5 in the WTA Rankings.
Meanwhile, Korneeva is yet to make her top 100 breakthrough with her best a high of No 128 while she has played in the main draw of a Grand Slam only once and that was at the 2024 Australian Open when she reached the second round.
But Korneeva has already had to deal with several setbacks as she suffered a wrist injury in early 2024 and was forced to undergo surgery, resulting in her missing several months of action.
In an interview with tennis journalist Szymon Przybysz, the teenager explained how she was able to remain positive.
“My entire team helped me with this. I didn’t play for over six months in 2024. I also started this season in Melbourne and didn’t return until June.
“I cut myself off. I deleted tennis-related apps, stopped following other players’ scores, and refused to watch any matches. When I was struggling and saw others playing while I sat in my room, sometimes clocking an hour a day, it was killing me. There were a few really difficult moments. There were periods when I felt quite angry every day.”
She has played mainly lower-tier tournaments since making her comeback, but for now, getting regular action is more important than playing on the WTA Tour.
The 18-year-old started to find form at the W100 tournament in Portugal recently, finishing runner-up to Maria Timofeeva.
“I played four tournaments and lost in the first round four times. It was tough mentally, so the final in Figueira da Foz was crucial for me,” she said. “I lost the title match, felt disappointed, but playing several matches in a row was necessary for me to find my rhythm after such a long break from competition.”
Korneeva is one of the high-profile students at the esteemed Rafa Nadal Academy and the support from everyone – from her coaches Anabel Medina and Joan Carles Alcala Llinares – has been incredible.
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And she knows she can take a leaf out of the great Rafael Nadal’s book as he had gone through similar struggles during his playing days.
“Their support is invaluable. Many experienced coaches and great players. They tried to calm me down every day,” the teenager said.
“They went through various problems with Rafa because he had many surgeries throughout his career. He supported me a lot himself. He knows perfectly well how to deal with the pressure of coming back after serious injuries.”
What about advice from the great man himself?
“When he retired, I didn’t see him for a few months. Now that’s changed; I’ve started seeing him much more often,” she adds “Whenever he sees me, he asks how I’m feeling, shows understanding, and reiterates that you have to find the positive in every situation.”
