Agnieszka Radwanska gave a cursory wave as she skipped out of her press conference late on Tuesday afternoon.
It would take a few moments before anyone realised that she had spent her time in front of the media playfully giving her audience a bit of a slap, with her intention today to land a bit of a sore one on Sabine Lisicki when the pair contest the second of the women's singles semi-finals at Wimbledon.
She would not be given to such a crass analogy, though. Indeed, Radwanska – seeded No.4 at this year's tournament – conducts herself with such disarming sweetness that were she to reach her second consecutive Wimbledon final today, the Pole might well be expected to apologise and pour Lisicki a glass of Robinsons. She might also be quietly expected to progress to the final, too, where she would come up against either Marion Bartoli or Kirsten Flipkens.
One stops short of referring to Radwanska as a provocateur – not least as she has proven a dab hand at swatting aside foes when armed with a racket this summer – but there is a calculated subtlety to how the 24-year-old draws you in before artfully taking you to pieces. She has done so to the likes of Madison Keys, Tsvetana Pironkova and Li Na at SW19. And a naive group of journalists.
This was not done with any sinister motive, it was just an exercise in wit and a challenge to those manning the microphones to pique her interest. Those who remained loyal to the mundane were teased deliberately and tenderly. When the Pole was asked her secret to staying on her feet on these slippery grass courts, she smiled. Then bared her teeth. "Well, I don't know. Just good shoes."
There is more to it than that – Radwanska having exhibited both accomplished skill and the sort of light touch which is the product of some very heavy labour. She is the blonde, cheery 20-something with the bubbly personality and soft edges, but a steely resolve which has been worked diligently into a sharpness which has cut through the women's order. Her last victory came over three sets against Li and later claimed to have given "200%".
She is the fierce competitor who is presented as the loveable pro, having been voted as the most popular player among in the women's game in consecutive between 2011 and 2012 – a period when the Pole dispatched opponents on her way to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and finished as runner up to Serena Williams in last year's Wimbledon final.
There are two contrasting sides to the Pole, then, yet they unite on a tennis court with the same lethal simplicity with which one attaches a bayonet to the end of a rifle. "The bigger pressure is I think in the first week," she said of her chances of making it to this summer's showpiece. "The quarter-final is the minimum for everyone, especially when you are seeded. Now I'm just more relaxed. The semi-final? It's already great result. I will just go on court without that big pressure."
She has emerged from the last four before but she is also armed with an acute knowledge of her opponent. Lisicki was born in Germany after her parents emigrated from Poland in the '70s but her first steps in tennis would carry her east, where she would face Radwanska in youth tournaments. The memory is treated warmly by Radwanska.
"We played some teams championship in Poland that I think was under 10 or 12. So it was really long time ago. You know, the time flies," she said, before her mood is hardened again by the imminent pressure of senior competition. "Suddenly we are here playing semi-final of a grand slam. I can't remember [who won in their youth matches in Poland]. She's a big serve, so I will have to be careful."
If that was a suggestion of weakness then it invited no further scrutiny. The Pole lacks the power which has been so ably utilised by Lisicki, but has developed the strength of character to win matches despite carrying an injury. "If it's the end of a grand slam you don't really think about the pain or anything else," she said softly when pressed on her fitness. "I don't know how much pain I have to have just to give up. I think there's no limit."
The question of fitness is one which has become the staple of conversation with Flipkens, the Belgian having defied medical advice to continue a tennis career that came close to being derailed following the discovery of blood clots in her legs which put her at risk of a pulmonary embolism or thrombosis. Now she is closer to a Wimbledon final. "Being in the semi-finals of the biggest tournament, I have no words," said Flipkens.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article