Flavia Pennetta: Blooming in the Autumn

Flavia Pennetta

She has languished in the shadows for a few seasons now. So much has gone on in her life that you ought to forgive Flavia Pennetta, if she is unable to recollect her glory days in the top stratum of women’s tennis.

The straight talking lady has experienced a fair share of roller coaster moments on the tour. So it must taste especially sweet for her to reach the first grand slam semifinals of her career at the ripe age of 31.

Pennetta was previously in the headlines for earning a spot in the top 10 in 2009, a couple of years after a well-documented separation from the love of her life – Carlos Moya. Her rise to the top rung of women’s tennis was a reflection of Pennetta’s inner strength, as she set aside the trauma of being cheated by rededicating herself to the game.

But after finishing 2008 and 2009 inside the top twenty, Pennetta failed to sustain her high levels of the two best seasons of her career. The Italian dropped out of the top twenty, eventually slipping to 45^th by the end of the 2012 season.

It was partly also a result of injuries, to be fair on the player – just a year ago, not long after losing in the first round of Wimbledon, Pennetta developed a career threatening wrist injury. The surgery meant that Pennetta was forced to watch both the US Open last year and the Australian Open in January from the comfort of her couch.

Since her return from rehabilitation in February this year, Pennetta failed to get past the first round of no less than nine of the sixteen tournaments she entered. She also lost in the second round of four other events. Pennetta may have drawn some positive energy from her run to the fourth round at Wimbledon.

But when the season hit the hard courts, the 83^rd ranked Italian fell in the second round at Toronto and the first at Cincinnati. Nothing in the form book suggested a deep foray at the US Open. But like a kindled spirit out of hibernation, the enterprising Italian took a liking to the autumn in New York. Her resurgence this past week might have taken even her closest confidants by surprise.

The unseeded woman showed fleetness of feet and immense anticipation, all fortnight to reach the maiden semifinals of her career without so much as losing a set. Pennetta broke serve a whopping 28 times in her five matches so far – ousting the 4^th seeded Sara Errani, former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova (27^th seed), 21^st seeded Simona Halep and her good friend, the 10^th seed Roberta Vinci for a combined loss of just 37 games.

Her journey so far at Flushing Meadows has been a refreshing effort by an embattled veteran, who many thought had already left her best in the past. Not only has Pennetta been fluent in her victories, she has confounded experts with her surprising run through the last four with a performance that has been as impressive as that of the dominant Serena Williams.

Pennetta is a woman who has been enriched by a variety of experiences – her shock and pain at being betrayed by Moya; the match against Vera Zvonareva at the US Open in 2009, where she saved six match points to force the Russian into an inglorious meltdown (3-6, 7-6, 6-0); the prison sentence of her mother in 2011, who was indicted for involuntary manslaughter after an accidental explosion at her home.

Her biographical effort, Dritto al Cuore (translates loosely to – Straight to the heart), in which she spoke about the heart wrenching experience of paying a surprise visit to meet her beau Moya only to discover that Moya was in love with another woman. Pennetta’s candid expression in the book endeared the charming Italian to many around the tennis fraternity.

The rich tapestry of her life may have filled Pennetta with the perspective and wisdom not normally associated with professionals on tennis circuit. For all her travails, Pennetta has done a tremendous job of surviving emotional trauma and physical with equal grace to focus her energies back on tennis. At an age where most tennis players walk quietly in to the sunset, the Italian has roused her fans with a riveting performance these past few days.

Irrespective of the outcome in the semifinals, her spirited performance against all comers has been nothing short of impressive for a lady who has managed to give expression to her tennis talent despite the drama and despair that has sometimes blighted her life in the past decade on the tour.