A rare spectacle in Wimbledon: no rest day for Tatjana Maria and Jule Niemeier
On "middle Sunday" Tatjana Maria and Jule Niemeier want to continue their dream run in Wimbledon. The odds aren't that bad.
by SID
last edit:
Jul 02, 2022, 10:55 pm
At Wimbledon, the strawberries come with clotted cream, not whipped cream. The lawn is trimmed to exactly eight millimeters. And the first Sunday is always free. The 135th edition of the Championships breaks one of these three golden rules, which means that the two German tournament surprises Jule Niemeier and Tatjana Maria will enjoy a rare spectacle.
This Sunday, the All England Club will officially open its doors for the round of 16 for the first time, including those of Dortmund's Niemeier and "super mom" Maria . Two new faces at this Grand Slam level, in one day for the people. Refugees from the Ukraine and helpers from the healthcare sector are invited.
Niemeier will almost certainly be able to enjoy the vibes on Center Court, and after all her fearless performances on her Wimbledon debut, it's safe to assume that she will: enjoy. "I already felt comfortable on Court 1," said the 22-year-old before her match against Briton Heather Watson: "The atmosphere will be incredible. I'm looking forward to it."
It should be clear who the audience favorite will be, but Niemeier's chances are not bad at all on the pitch. In the successful thriller against Lesia Tsurenko from Ukraine, she proved that she is mentally ready for the really big matches. She's playful anyway when the serve comes back, and "physically I feel really good," she said after the two-hour match.
Together with Maria (34) she forms an unlikely German duo in the round of 16 - a round later they would meet. Who would have expected number 97 and number 103 in the world rankings? But both "have found their rhythm and their game on grass," said Angelique Kerber, who said goodbye on Friday. In very different ways.
Tatjana Maria: "Tennis match not the most important thing"
While Niemeier can dominate with serve and forehand, Maria tactics and drives the opponents to insanity with her slice. The mother of two announced after the coup against the Greek Maria Sakkari that she would not change her approach on Sunday. Then it's against former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko from Latvia. Another surprise is not excluded.
Especially since Maria is deeply relaxed about the task. "Of course I'm overjoyed, and that's a very special success," she said after defeating Sakkari, fifth in the world rankings: "But nothing has changed for the children. I'm still their mom." The focus has shifted in recent years. Maria knows that a tennis match is "not the most important thing" in the world.
Not even if it takes place on a historic day. In the long history of the oldest tennis tournament in the world, it was only played four times on "middle Sunday": 1991, 1997, 2004 and 2016. Each time because it had rained so heavily in the days before that the schedule was delayed. This year Wimbledon breaks with tradition, that happens rarely enough.