‘It’s time I own that’: Gadecki embraces pressure of being Australia’s top-ranked woman

It’s been a big 2024 for Olivia Gadecki.

The 22-year-old Australian tennis player has ticked off a number of milestones in the past 12 months, including an Olympic Games appearance, a maiden WTA singles final in Guadalajara, making her Wimbledon main draw debut and cracking the women’s top 100 for the first time in her career.

Now, the little-known Gadecki, who hails from the Gold Coast, is Australia’s top-ranked female player at No.96 in the world, meaning she will lead team Australia at the 2025 United Cup in Sydney alongside Alex de Minaur.

“I feel like I’ve had a pretty great year,” Gadecki says via video link from Britain, where she moved permanently in 2024.

“To be able to finish the year top 100 is a dream come true. It’s definitely been one of my goals, so for me to be able to tick that off, it’s an amazing feeling. But I’m definitely looking to get to top 50 next, and then hopefully top 20, top 10.”

The move to Britain, where her coach Nigel Sears – Andy Murray’s father-in-law – is based, was a practical decision to help ease the pressure that comes with the daily grind of the professional circuit.

“I definitely thought it would make a big difference, basing out of the UK, just because Australia is so far, and it does take a toll when you live out of a suitcase week after week,” Gadecki says.

“I think that makes players, or me personally, burn out quite quickly. So, I felt like I needed to make that move, and I’m so glad I did ... I probably spent the first six months adjusting, trying to find what works for me – as in, how much do I actually come back to the UK, and whether or not it’s better to maybe just stick out a week [at a tournament], even if I lost early, just to build that sort of competitive tournament feel.

“Because, sometimes I feel like I was losing early, then coming back to the UK, and then going again, and it just got a little bit too comfortable. So I adjusted a little, tried to stay out at a tournament and train with the players there and be by myself a little bit more and try and find that drive inside.”

Six months after making the move, Gadecki found that drive.

After playing through Wimbledon qualifying, she appeared in the main draw for the first time in her career, before losing to American Robin Montgomery in the first round. But she carried that confidence into the Olympics and the hard court season in the United States, before it all came together in Guadalajara in September.

Gadecki defeated 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the first round and backed that up with a straight-sets victory over No.2 seed Danielle Collins and wins over former world No.18 Martina Trevisan and 80th-ranked Camila Osorio to qualify for her maiden WTA singles final.

“It was definitely one of the weeks where I felt like everything just came together ... I felt like my level has been there, it’s just being able to tap into that and tap into consistency,” she says.

Gadecki lost to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the final, but the occasion marked a turning point for the rising star, who has endured her share of adversity. She quit the sport for 18 months as a teenager due to the toll the heavy training load and high school studies took on her mental health.

“It was quite an interesting week [in Guadalajara] because I just felt like I was very present,” she says.

“I wasn’t really thinking too much about the next round, or even just making the second round or a semi. I was just enjoying the moment, enjoying being out there, competing, playing against some the best players, and I just took one day at a time.”

It’s been a rewarding year for Gadecki, but it’s also been demanding.

“I’m definitely learning how to balance each week – like I can definitely get better at maybe taking a little bit of time off here and there,” she says. “Or just recharging a little bit better because even though you can take a week off, you tend to feel guilty about it, or you see other players playing and doing well and you sort of get a bit of FOMO [fear of missing out] in a way.”

Tennis is famously a lonely sport, which is why Gadecki is excited to start the 2025 season with the United Cup – a team event.

“We don’t get to do that a lot,” she says. “It’s not about you for the first time, so it’s really refreshing.”

But the event also comes with a new responsibility for Gadecki, now that she’s Australia’s top-ranked female player. It means she will face Argentina’s highest-ranked singles player, world No.98 Nadia Podoroska, and Britain’s top-ranked player and de Minaur’s partner, world No.24 Katie Boulter.

“It’s definitely a big privilege, and it’s also definitely nerve-wracking,” Gadecki says. “But it comes with being No.1, and it’s always been a dream [of mine] to be No.1 Aussie player, and I think it’s time that I sort of own that.

“I definitely think it’s against my natural personality [to own it], but the fact it makes me feel uncomfortable is something I actually strive [for].”

Gadecki hopes that 2025 is another season of firsts.

“I would definitely love to start the year strong during the Aussie summer,” she says. “It’s a great way to set the tone for the year, and to play in front of a home crowd is incredible.

“I think if I start well there, then I really set myself up for a great year, and I just want to stay healthy, happy and hopefully get down to top 25 would be nice.”

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