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There’s a reason Kipling’s line about triumph and disaster adorns the entrance to Centre Court. Some players read it with nervous thoughts of what is yet to come.
Others, like Elena Vesnina, may greet it with a smile: this, after all, is some triumph for the unseeded Russian.
Back in January, Vesnina lost in the first round of qualifying at the Australian Open, her ranking lodged in the triple digits after a rough ride in 2015. On Tuesday she surged into the semi-finals at The Championships with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over No.19 seed Dominika Cibulkova.
Centre Court and Serena Williams await on Thursday – and the 29-year-old couldn’t be happier.
“I am very surprised,” admitted Vesnina, who is also still involved in the Ladies’ and Mixed Doubles draws. “It was like a dream come true. I'm always thinking, like, I can do well in the Grand Slams. I had some good wins, I was close to be in the quarter-final a couple of times, but it was not good enough. I was just waiting and waiting for this to happen. But, of course, semi-final is a big surprise for me.”
Twice a Grand Slam doubles champion, Vesnina was outstanding in the first singles Grand Slam quarter-final of her career. Cibulkova struggled to contain her opponent’s serve – the Russian won 79 per cent of points behind her first delivery – and uncharacteristically made more errors, 13 to 10.
As well as Vesnina played – and she played a pitch-perfect match – it was clear that Cibulkova’s recent exploits had caught up with her. The Eastbourne champion was bidding to win her 10th consecutive grass-court match and outdo her 2011 run to the quarter-finals, but three hours and nearly three kilometres of sprinting as she ousted No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska on Monday had taken its toll.
“She was playing really well,” conceded Cibulkova, who took some solace in the fact her wedding can go ahead as planned on Saturday. “Of course, I felt yesterday's match, not only physically, but also emotionally. I felt today a little bit flat.
I think the difficult times - every single player has to go through it because it makes you better. It makes you stronger
“Even when I was catching her a little bit, she always hit some good serves. She didn't give me any chance to come back into the match.”
Only one quarter-finalist spent longer on court than Cibulkova's three-hour stint on Monday - her opponent, Vesnina. The Russian needed two hours, 48 minutes to see off doubles partner Ekaterina Makarova before spending another 80 minutes alongside her compatriot. But it was the nature of the time spent on court that left Cibulkova drained of her trademark ‘Pome’ pep.
Vesnina had won their only previous encounter at Wimbledon – a three-hour, three-minute epic in the third round in 2009, the only other time she has reached the second week. And it seemed as though history might repeat itself when the opening game lasted eight minutes, but Cibulkova struggled to put any pop into her first serve two games later, and gave up the first of two consecutive breaks to go 5-1 down.
It was the same story in the second set – Vesnina dictating play and running Cibulkova to a standstill, quickly opening up a 4-0 lead. Cibulkova rallied to get herself on the board and produced a defiant love hold at 5-2, but Vesnina responded in kind to wrap up victory in 76 minutes.
It is a far cry from her struggles in Melbourne, or even last year’s Wimbledon campaign, which ended in the first round. So what changed?
“Self‑belief,” said the 29-year-old. “Positive thinking. I was not putting any pressure on myself going on the court – I know I'm in good shape, I'm playing good.
“I was not thinking about my draw. I didn't see who I was playing next round. I was trying to enjoy myself on the court first of all, because I'm here at Wimbledon – it's one of the best tennis tournaments in history, with the best players in the world. I have to enjoy myself here.
“You really appreciate more what you have now. You really enjoy what you’re doing. I love playing tennis. It's the best thing what can happen with me. I'm really enjoying my time on the court, and off the court as well.
“I had really difficult beginning of the year, end of the year: I dropped out of the top 100, I was playing all tournaments starting from qualification. I had a lot of matches under my belt. It was not easy, to be honest, because I was in top 30, then I was like 120 or something.
“I'm really happy that it didn't break me up. I think the difficult times - every single player has to go through it because it makes you better. It makes you stronger.”
