The thermometer in Melbourne Park showed 32 degrees in the shade. It must have been even hotter in the blazing sun down on the 1573 Court. Meshkatolzahra Safi (17) doesn’t care, she played her second round match of the Australian Open at the juniors almost completely covered.
The Iranian entered the square wearing a headscarf, long sleeves, long black leggings and a skirt. That she didn’t stand a chance against the Belgian Sofia Costoulas (16) at 0: 6, 2: 6 – for free. She has already attracted more attention and achieved more than those who progress through the tournament than she does.
Photo: PAUL CROCK/AFP
” data-zoom-src=”https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/ja-unter-dem-kopftuch- wird-es-hot-aber-meshkatolzahra-safi-spielt-immer-so-ob-es- cold-or-warm-is-68ee2307fba3435496ab3005f57700a9-78931954/Bild/4.bild.jpg”/> Yes, it gets hot under the headscarf. But Meshkatolzahra Safi always plays whether it’s cold or warmPhoto: PAUL CROCK/AFP
Safi stands for a new generation of Iranian women who no longer allow themselves to be told what they should and should not do. “Everyone told me that it was impossible to play a Grand Slam tournament and that I would never do it,” she says.
But she made it and that’s her message: “Don’t give up on your dreams! Don’t listen to anyone who says that. At some point I just stopped telling anyone what I was up to and was just training,” she told The National newspaper.
Don’t give up and don’t listen to the negative voices, that’s also the motto for her everyday life. “I keep going through every difficult situation in my life. If you find yourself in a difficult situation, learn to deal with it. Keep your head up!”
Thanks to her fighting spirit, she actually reached Melbourne, despite difficult training conditions in Tehran, hardly any sponsors and the obstacle that not every country grants visas to Iranians. But now she became the first Iranian to win a match at a major. In the first round she defeated Anja Nayar from Australia 6:4, 6:3.
<img class="photo ondemand zoomable" src="https://bilder.bild.de/fotos-skaliert/ein-moment-fuer-die-geschichtsbuecher-meshkatolzahra-safi-bejubelt-als-erste-iranerin-einen-sieg-bei-e-a8cc0136163f4c5d891e690a2601441f-78932020/4,w=1280,c=0.bild.jpg" width="1280" alt="Ein Moment für die Geschichtsbücher! Meshkatolzahra Safi bejubelt als erste Iranerin einen Sieg bei einem Grand-Slam-Turnier, wenn auch nur bei den Juniorinnen" data-zoom-title="Ein Moment für die Geschichtsbücher! Meshkatolzahra Safi bejubelt als erste Iranerin einen Sieg bei einem Grand-Slam-Turnier, wenn auch nur bei den Juniorinnen
” data-zoom-src=”https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/ein-moment-fuer-die-geschichtsbuecher-meshkatolzahra-safi-jubelt-as-the-first-iranian-a-victory-at-e- a8cc0136163f4c5d891e690a2601441f-78932020/Bild/4.bild.jpg”/>
A moment for the history books! Meshkatolzahra Safi is the first Iranian to celebrate a victory in a Grand Slam tournament, albeit only in the juniorsFoto: Getty Images
But the most burning question is: Isn’t that bad in this heat? Safi: “I like the sun, but not as much as here. But I’ve been used to playing undercover since I was nine years old. I’ll keep doing that too. It’s a part of me,” said the Muslim.
Incidentally, Safi came to tennis through Rafael Nadal (35), whom she saw on television with her mother. Her coaches quickly said she was talented. “But what ‘talented’ really is is what I see here in Australia,” she laughs. In the 2nd round she felt it.
Of course, the Spaniard is also one of her idols – alongside soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo (36). Safi: “One brought me to tennis, the other showed me how to deal with difficult situations. He had quite a few of those.”
And if Safi is actually in the women’s field of a Grand Slam in a few years, then there will no longer just be three journalists sitting in front of her and listening to her. But then she will already be a mega star in her home country. At least for those who don’t see women’s struggle for recognition as science fiction.
