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Even though there's plenty of high-quality literature to choose from in her native Russia, Nadia Petrova nonetheless says Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind is her favorite novel.
"It's just a great history of a woman and what she went through and how hard she fought," Petrova says.
The classic Civil War drama also happens to be set among Georgia's red-clay dusted hills -- the same surface on which Petrova has dominated women's tennis this spring.
Since April, the 23-year-old has won three consecutive tournaments and risen to a career-best No. 3 ranking. She leads the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in wins (33) and titles (four) and heads into the French Open riding a 15-match unbeaten streak.
Petrova's 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 comeback win against two-time French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne in the Berlin final this month also served notice that the two-time Roland Garros semifinalist has the goods to take the next step.
"She will be one of the favorites, that's for sure," Henin-Hardenne said after the 2-hour, 48-minute German Open final. "She's really the player with the confidence right now."
Petrova acknowledges she enters the year's second major in unfamiliar territory. "For me, it's going to be a new experience, being at a Grand Slam, being one of the favorites and also highly ranked," says Petrova, who fell to eventual champion Henin-Hardenne 6-2, 6-3 in last year's semifinals. "I have to face new things. On the one hand, it will be easier. On the other hand, it will be pressure on myself."
One of the tour's most consistent players, Petrova struggled for years to reach the winner's circle despite constant improvement. For most of 2005, she owned the dubious distinction as the only top-10 player without a tournament title.
She broke through with a win in Linz, Austria, last fall, nine years after her first pro event.
"Linz was perfect timing to finish off the year," says Petrova, also one of the tour's most accomplished doubles players. "It helped in the beginning of this year. I started very well, and I gained my confidence."
The jump from pretender to Grand Slam contender has been swift. She followed Linz with victories this year at Doha; Amelia Island, Fla.; Charleston, S.C.; and Berlin -- the last three on clay.
A versatile player who is dangerous on all surfaces, Petrova is equipped with a big serve, superior net game and lethal backhand. Her sometimes undependable forehand is less of a liability.
Except for an injury-plagued 2002, her progress up the rankings has been slow and steady. Petrova attributes a recent change to coach Tomasz Iwanski for some of her newfound success.
As with many players who suddenly lock into a higher gear, her improved play isn't so much about what's between the lines as it is about what's between the ears. She no longer lacks self-belief at crunchtime in the third set.
"Her whole level has jumped, and it's consistent," TV commentator Mary Carillo says. "It's like she's made peace with her game."
Although compatriots Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova won majors as teenagers, Petrova is a classic late bloomer.
A child of athletic parents -- her mother won a bronze medal in sprinting in the 1976 Olympics, and her father was a top hammer thrower -- Petrova spent her childhood bouncing around Europe and Africa. She didn't decide to pursue tennis until her mid-teens.
"It took me a long time to realize I wanted to be a professional," says Petrova, who spent three years in Egypt and two in Poland as a teenager. "It's a long process."
She's made up for her late start with total devotion.
In an age when players such as the Williams sisters divert time from their athletic careers by dabbling in acting and interior design, Petrova is a paragon of professionalism. She's serious, soft-spoken and never far from the practice courts. Her jock genes have prepared her well for the repetitive life of training and tournaments.
"Tennis has always been my first priority," says Petrova, who speaks Russian, English and Polish fluently. "I've been setting goals for myself for each single tournament."
Though she lacks the name recognition of Sharapova or 2004 French Open champ Anastasia Myskina, Petrova now is the top-ranked Russian.
"It took me such a long way, and I'm proud of it," she says. "Of course, I have other goals. Being (the top Russian) is not satisfying to me yet."
Like the indomitable Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind, Petrova isn't content with anything less than a place in posterity. "To be part of tennis history," she says, "you need to win a Grand Slam."
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