12 months after her fairytale run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon, Tatjana Maria is ready to return to the scene of her greatest Grand Slam triumph.
The German stunned the draw last year with wins over Maria Sakkari and Jelena Ostapenko to reach the final four. At the time Maria had never gone beyond the third round of a major event. She was eventually knocked out of the tournament by Ons Jabeur.
Maria is the first mother of two to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon this century. She had her first child (Charlotte) in December 2013 and her second (Cecila) in April 2021. Playing on the Tour as a parent is far from easy but more players are doing so with other notable examples being Victoria Azarenka and Elina Svitolina. Something she describes as a ‘positive development’ for the women’s game which hopefully will trigger more support for mums in the sport.
“It would be helpful if all the big tournaments would provide a nursery. It’s something only offered by the Grand Slams and a few tournaments like the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix,” Maria said during an interview with the Porsche Newsroom.
“There’s been one there for years now. It would be very positive for the children and the mums (if other tournaments follow suit),” she added.
Maria is currently ranked 58th in the world and is hoping to fair better at Wimbledon than she did at the French Open earlier this year. In Paris, she was thrashed 6-0, 6-1, by Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia in the first round. Since then, she has faired better on the grass with a run to the final of a WTA 125 event in Italy. Then in Bad Homburg this week she took a set of Iga Swiatek before losing 12 out of the next 14 games played.
“It’s my favourite Grand Slam. It has a special atmosphere and a unique history that can be felt in every corner of the grounds. And then I also love playing on grass,” she said of Wimbledon.
“I want to enjoy such wonderful moments in the future too. It’s something I work on every day, and I try to give my best. I’m however not putting myself under any pressure. For sure, I made it to the semis last year and perhaps people are now expecting that things will go just as well again. I’m hoping for the same. As I won’t be seeded then it’s a question of whether the draw is kind to me. It’s something I can’t influence.”
Regardless of what happens over the coming weeks, 35-year-old Maria is proud to show that it is possible to balance motherhood with life as a professional athlete.
“I think they do,” she replied when asked if others see her as a role model. “In my example, they see that it’s possible to have a child during one’s career and then return to the professional tour. I after all have come back twice, first after Charlotte’s birth, which amazed many, and then a second time after Cecilia was born. It’s possible.”
The draw for Wimbledon will take place tomorrow at 10am with action getting underway on Monday.
