Photo courtesy WTA
Desirae Krawczyk
Here in the desert, we’re lucky enough to have the BNP Paribas Open, also known by many as Indian Wells, the biggest tennis tournament in the world outside of the four Grand Slams. The only thing missing was a homegrown tennis champion. Local hero Desirae Krawczyk has now filled that void. Born in Rancho Mirage in 1994, Desirae spent all her childhood in the region.
“I spent my whole life in the desert area; it’s home for me,” says Krawczyk. “I grew up on the tennis court playing with my dad. My dad would play his matches on the weekends and I would be with him. That’s how I fell in love with the sport, and loved it ever since. Growing up in the valley, a lot of my friends were like ‘gosh, what’s it like growing up in the desert, isn’t it more like a retirement community?’ It is. It’s where everyone comes to enjoy themselves and retire, but I think I was very lucky and fortunate to have a group of friends, a group of girls I could grow up and play tennis with and excel in that. I don’t take it for granted; it was a great experience. I remember that we would practice at 7AM to avoid the heat, even though it was already 90 degrees!”
Desirae went on to play on the tennis team at Palm Desert High, but it wasn’t her only interest during her teenage years. “I was big into tennis and was also doing modelling and acting for a few years,” she remembers. “I had to decide what was best for me. I wanted to play tennis. That’s the route I took.”
When it was time to decide if she should turn pro or go to college, Desirae Krawczyk had doubts, which led her to a different choice than what most professional tennis players would do.
“For me, it was a tough decision,” she explains. “I was with the USTA for about a year; I was in Carson, in California. With my dad, we would go to Carson five days a week, and then we would drive back to the desert for two days, for the weekend, so that I could hang out with friends, be with my mom and we could all be together as a family. My parents made that sacrifice for me, which is great. That was the turning point. I think I was about sixteen or seventeen; I was a junior in high school. Obviously, my parents really wanted me to go pro, that was the dream, play tennis, be a professional athlete. A lot of coaches thought I had the talent to do that, but in the back of my head, I thought that, financially, I didn’t think we could do it. It’s just a lot. I didn’t think I was ready physically, mentally. I just didn’t think I was grown up yet. I thought I needed the experience of going to college to mature. I needed to build my game and build myself, as a person. I was very happy with my decision to go to college and be independent and learn to be on my own. Just in case, if anything happens, I have something to fall back on.”
Desirae ended up turning pro right after graduating from Arizona State University, at 22 years old. “I definitely didn’t hesitate after college,” she explains. “That’s what I wanted to do, it was the time for me to start, and I just went running with it. I did play a little bit of singles, got injured a couple of times. Didn’t really give it a good shot. I did well in doubles very quickly, so I ended up taking the doubles route. “I started from the ground up. I started playing the ITF tournaments, then the 15Ks, the 25Ks, 60ks, 80ks, working my way up to that higher level, which is the WTA tour, and then being on the WTA tour full time. My goal was to play the Grand Slam events. It was just surreal to be able to do that when it happened.”
It says a lot about Krawczyk’s personality that playing doubles is what resonated the most with her. “I think for me, I just enjoy being on a team,” she explains. “In college, you’re on a team. That transitioned into the pros. I had good partners and played with people I enjoyed. You do well when you enjoy yourself out there. It’s also the different strategies you do in doubles, the different shot selections; it’s not just hitting from the baseline, you’re coming in, you’re hitting volleys, you’re calling plays, you’re picking spots, you’re picking people’s weaknesses. There’s a lot of variety in it. It’s really fun and really competitive.”
After a few years, Krawczyk also started to play mixed doubles. “They’re very different,” she reflects. “Playing women’s doubles is my career, but to be able to play mixed doubles is so much fun. It’s so light-hearted. You get to meet the other incredible ATP doubles players. I’ve been fortunate to have very good mixed doubles partners, on and off the court. They’re different because a guy has a much bigger serve. We’re not used to a serve like that in the women's game. You have to adapt to that, work around that.”
One of the key aspects of playing doubles at a professional level is picking the right partner. “You obviously want to find someone that will complement your game style,” explains Desirae. “You can’t have someone with a similar style. You want to have someone that’s going to set you up, and vice versa. Someone who has the variety in their shot selection and a big serve, that way you can move off that. Some girls come out and we practice with each other, they come off their single practice and we play doubles. I wouldn’t say you audition. You just try and see how the game styles match up. You practice with them for so long you know what their game style is and if it will benefit you. For mixed, I wouldn’t say you’re looking for people with a really good game. It’s more like ‘let’s have some fun, let’s see how it goes.’”
2021 was a banner year for Krawczyk, as she won three mixed doubles Grand Slam titles: the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. It had only been done previously by Martina Navratilova and Martina Hingis. Finding the right partner was once again a key component of Desirae’s success. “Obviously playing with Joe [Salisbury] made a big difference,” she explains. “I played with him on every other Grand Slam except two. We have a great friendship and great chemistry on the court. We enjoy ourselves out there; it’s not like we’re expecting to win. I was very fortunate and just happy to be where I was. And then to make a third final… this was crazy! I wasn’t expecting it, even though I had the hopes and goal to do that. We just play well together and it was so much fun!”
It won’t surprise anyone that the BNP Open holds a special place in Desirae’s heart. “Being around the BNP tournament for so many years, and then ball-keeping there for five-plus years, helped me create so many memories,” remembers Krawczyk. “I was dreaming of playing that event for so long. The first time I played, I was pretty nervous. I was like ‘gosh, I used to be ball-keeping here, and now I’m playing on these courts, it’s crazy!’ But after that, I’ve reached finals, I’ve experienced pressure, so last fall when I came back, I had a different attitude. I was happy to be out there playing, even though we lost in the second round. I’m very excited to play there this month. Family and friends will be there, and there’s no place like it!
