PROFILE OF THE RUSSIAN GOLDILOCKS

Tania Likamolova is a Russian tennis player and the current reigning US Open Champion.

Life is good for Tania. She is focused, disciplined, determined and on course to achieve her ambition to be the best player in the world. Nothing else matters but reaching this goal.

At the beginning of the story, Tania is defending her title and playing in the Quarter Finals against her compatriot, Natalya Shikolenko. But this is no ordinary match. Something unexpected happens that plunges Tania into a world of uncertainty and forces her to deal with the messiness around her, and causes her to re-examine her view of life.

BACKGROUND

Tania realizes that she is unprepared for the demands of this new situation. After all, she has had a fairly normal upbringing. She was born in Nikolayevsk-on-Amur, a region off the East Coast of Siberia near Sakhalin Island, to her parents Ulya and Alina. When she was four years old, her family moved to Moscow.

Tania was unusually agile and flexible and originally wanted to be a ballerina and her parents sent her for ballet lessons. However, her interest soon waned and Tania then decided it would be fun to be a gymnast instead. Again, this passion was short-lived.

Tania then found tennis. It was a passion that would change her life in every way, starting by her parents' decision to move her to America to ensure she had the best training. But at least, despite all the sacrifices, here was something she really loved and had the perseverance to pursue it to the top. From the moment she first picked up a racquet, Tania knew she had found her 'thing'. That's not to say Tania is one-dimensional and follows her plan to be world number 1 like a mindless automaton. Tania is still very much in touch with her human, child-like self.

She might seem like a ruthless killer on court, but once a match is over, Tania goes back to her normal, innocent girlish self. She tries not to be overwhelmed by her growing celebrity status - Tania wants to be approachable and accessible, and not be one of those distant, hardened superstars.

However, in order to survive against her enemies in the story, Tania faces a dilemma: she has to 'toughen up' in order to win, but wonders how to keep the right balance between being strong and being hard and cynical. Another problem Tania faces is that, although is no longer a teenager, she still sees life through the eyes of a child: things are more black and white to her than shades of grey. And sometimes Tania thinks there should be a simple solution to everything.

Find out more about Tania by reading the book here.