How Martina Trevisan overcame an eating disorder to reach the French Open semi-finals

The first semi-final at the French Open has been decided.

Italian star Martina Trevisan is set to play American teenager Coco Gauff tomorrow for a place in the final at Roland-Garros.

Both Trevisan and Gauff are in the semi-final of a Grand Slam for the first time, but both are in very different stages of their respective careers.

It may seem as if Gauff has been on the WTA Tour for years, but she is only 18-years-old. She was thrust into the spotlight after beating Venus Williams in the first round of Wimbledon in 2019, before clinching her first WTA title at the Linz Open later that year.

In contrast, the 28-year-old Trevisan has been playing on the WTA Tour since 2016. She’s had a slow rise to top, winning her maiden WTA title in May and rising to a career-high singles ranking of world number 59.

Now, two years after reaching the quarter-final at Roland-Garros, Trevisan has gone one step further. Following a comprehensive 6-2, 6-4 victory over Leylah Fernandez in the last eight, the star is hoping to write her name into the French Open history books.

Trevisan’s path to the top of women’s tennis has been a difficult one. She began playing on the ITF circuit in 2008, before reaching the French Open and Wimbledon semi-finals in the girls’ doubles competitions in 2009.

The young star was struggling with anorexia, however. She stepped away from competitive tennis for four years, seeking professional treatment for her eating disorder.

Trevisan wrote about her experience in an article on the Italian website The Owl Post.

“I was re-educated to eat, to make peace with my wounds,” she said. “To appreciate my new body, to forgive those who made mistakes and to find my time to do things.”

Trevisan then began coaching at a local