Beatriz Haddad Maia secured the prestigious title of Woman of the Year from GQ Brazil, marking her exceptional achievements on the international tennis stage. GQ, known for recognizing individuals who make significant contributions on a worldwide or national scale, honored Haddad Maia for her outstanding performances on the WTA Tour.
This year, in June, Haddad Maia reached a career-high ranking of world no. 10 and elevated Brazil’s presence in tennis by consistently proving herself as one of the world’s top players. Despite the country’s recent lack of success in the sport, she emerged as a shining star, which included an impressive run at the French Open, reaching the semifinals but losing to eventual champion Iga Swiatek.
Her crowning moment came at the WTA Elite Trophy, where she clinched victory over Qinwen Zheng in the final. Haddad Maia’s rise in tennis turned her into a Brazilian tennis icon. Reflecting on her unprecedented success, she remarked, “It’s something I never imagined but also something I worked hard for.”
Bia Haddad Maia graces the cover of @GQBrasil as their 2023 ‘Woman of The Year’.
📸: @pedrodimitrow
✍️: Ana Beatriz Gonçalves— wta (@WTA) December 5, 2023
The magazine cover of GQ Brazil’s latest edition captures the essence of her remarkable achievements, accompanied by a feature article penned by Ana Beatriz Gonçalves and a stylish photo shoot by Pedro Dimitrov. Haddad Maia remains humble despite comparisons to Brazilian tennis legends of the past like Maria Esther Bueno, who won seven Grand Slam singles titles.
At 27 years old, the southpaw, who only made it to the Top 50 last year, now plans to keep playing for another ten years. She has gained confidence from her journey, moving up from her lower rankings to become one of the world’s top 10 players. A failed doping test that emerged in 2020 didn’t severely impact her image or future career. Let’s dig deeper to find out what it was all about.
When Beatriz Haddad Maia failed a doping test
In 2020, Beatriz Haddad Maia received a 10-month suspension from the WTA tour by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) following a failed drug test. Backdating to July 2019, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) provisionally suspended her after she tested positive for SARM S-22 and SARM LGD-4033, substances prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The Tennis Anti-Doping Program acknowledged that Haddad Maia wasn’t significantly at fault for her violation, accepting her explanation that contaminated supplements led to the failed test. However, the decision pointed out that athletes bear the responsibility for the risk of contamination when using supplements, even if the ingredients don’t list any banned substances.
Brazilian No. 1 Beatriz Haddad Maia, who upset Garbiñe Muguruza at Wimbledon, has been provisionally suspended for failing a doping test.
Read: https://t.co/EEvUgaCVF0 pic.twitter.com/LhLvcwZisF
— TENNIS (@Tennis) July 25, 2019
This was evident in the case of three other Brazilian tennis players, Marcelo Demoliner, Thomaz Bellucci, and Igor Marcondes, who tested positive due to contaminated supplements in the past four years. Since they faced this issue, Haddad Maia “should have known” about the dangers.
As a result of the suspension, any money or ranking points Haddad Maia earned after failing the doping test, including her win against Garbiñe Muguruza at the 2019 Wimbledon, were no longer valid.