Maja Chwalińska returns to Poland after historic Roland Garros run, faces €2.8M French tax bill

Maja Chwalińska returned to Poland on Monday morning, landing at Warsaw Chopin Airport before 10:00, where she was greeted by fans, her manager Piotr Szczypka, representatives of the Polish Tennis Association, and journalists. The 24-year-old from Dąbrowa Górnicza had just completed a historic run at Roland Garros, becoming the first qualifier ever to reach the women's singles final.

The Paris campaign

Chwalińska began the tournament in the qualifying rounds, winning three matches against Alice Rame (6:0, 6:3), Carolle Monet (6:0, 6:1), and Suzan Lamens (7:6, 7:5) to enter the main draw. She then won six consecutive main-draw matches, defeating Qinwen Zheng (6:4, 6:0), Elise Martens (6:4, 6:0), Maria Sakkari (1:6, 6:3, 6:2), Diane Parry (6:3, 6:2), Anna Kalinska (7:6, 6:3), and Diana Sznajder (7:6, 6:4). In Saturday's final, she fell to eighth-seeded Mirra Andriejewa 3:6, 2:6.

Była dla mnie za mocna.

Despite the loss, her performance captivated the tennis world. Commentator Tomasz Wolfke described her game as varied and cerebral. Andriejewa herself called Chwalińska's journey incredible and said she was a very difficult opponent.

Ranking leap and earnings

Chwalińska's run propelled her from 114th to 21st in the WTA rankings, a jump of 93 places. Her prize money as finalist totalled approximately €1.4 million (roughly 6 million złoty). Poland now has four women inside the WTA top 60: Iga Świątek (3rd), Chwalińska (21st), Magdalena Fręch (43rd), and Magda Linette (60th).

The tax dispute

Under the Poland-France double-taxation treaty, income earned by athletes is taxed in the country where it is generated. French organisers withhold 15% at source, but that is only an advance payment. The final French tax rate on income of this size reaches approximately 45%, plus a surcharge on the highest incomes.

Premia finalistki to ok. 1,4 mln euro, czyli mniej więcej 6 mln zł. Po rozliczeniu na francuskiej skali realny podatek to nie 15 proc., lecz ok. 45 proc. — w okolicach 2,7-2,8 mln zł.

Juszczyk noted that Chwalińska can reduce the bill by deducting documented expenses directly related to her appearance. As a Polish tax resident, she must declare her worldwide income in Poland, but can credit the French tax already paid against her Polish liability. She cannot use Poland's PIT-0 youth exemption because she is over 26.

Finance Minister Andrzej Domański said on TVN24 on Monday that he would raise the matter with his French counterpart at an upcoming meeting.

Będziemy się niedługo widzieć, więc poruszę ten temat, aczkolwiek oczywiście francuski fiskus, podobnie jak polski, stara się mieć zasady.

Personal story and infrastructure debate

Chwalińska was born on 11 October 2001 in Miechów and raised in Dąbrowa Górnicza. Her father Tomasz, a former mine electrician, retired early to support her career. In 2020, while Iga Świątek was winning the French Open, Chwalińska's career stalled. She was considered too short at 164 cm, suffered a wrist injury, and was diagnosed with depression. She suspended her career in June 2021.

Próbowałam być twarda i zmuszać się do treningów, ale doszłam do momentu, w którym nie mogłam wstać z łóżka.

She resumed after several months, made her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon in 2022, and later endured another six-month break due to a knee injury. The 2024 season was her first uninterrupted campaign.

Her success has ignited a debate about tennis infrastructure in Poland. The courts in Dąbrowa Górnicza where she trained as a child are slated for demolition to make way for social housing. City spokesman Bartosz Matylewicz confirmed the plans, noting the courts date from the 1970s and lack changing rooms and sanitary facilities. A 2020 renovation estimate came to around 5 million złoty. New courts have since been built in Park Zielona, where Chwalińska's first coach, Paweł Kałuża, runs free summer programmes for children.

Controversy in Moscow

Not all reactions were positive. Former Spartak Moscow president Andriej Czerwiczenko, appearing on Match TV, called Chwalińska's tennis "disgusting" and described her shots as awkward. Andriejewa, he said, had to avoid falling into psychosis while dealing with the unusual style. The remarks were an outlier; most observers praised Chwalińska's creative, tactical game.

Meanwhile, Iga Świątek, who exited Roland Garros in the fourth round against Marta Kostiuk (5:7, 1:6), posted a social-media gallery showing her own time in Paris: the Eiffel Tower, cycling, attending the Champions League final where Paris Saint-Germain won their second European title, viewing an Alexander Calder exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, and assembling a Lego Architecture set of Paris landmarks.