In Wimbledon, Tatjana Maria celebrates the greatest success of her long career - at the age of 34, as a mother of two. Ending your tennis career is out of the question, says Maria. And presents a surprising option for the family future.
After her sensational performance in Wimbledon with her first semi-final entry, Tatjana Maria is not yet thinking about the end of her tennis career. "I don't worry about how much longer I'll be playing. I feel fit, it's possible that I'll play for a very, very long time," said the 34-year-old after missing out on the final at the grass classic. "At the moment I'm fit and it will definitely continue."
In her tenth Wimbledon participation and her 35th start in a Grand Slam tournament, the mother of two had come as far as never before. It was only in the semifinals that she lost 2:6, 6:3, 1:6 against her good friend and second in the world rankings, Ons Jabeur from Tunisia.
During the tournament, Maria also talked about a possible continuation of her career until her daughter Charlotte, who is currently eight, might also make the leap to the professional level. "I've always joked that after a third [child] I might come back. And maybe I'll stay on tour until Charlotte plays. You never know what might happen," she said this week. "Now I've learned to keep it open and just see how I feel. Maybe then I'll still be on the tour."
After her last game in Wimbledon, Maria was duly celebrated: It was difficult to chase after her balls. She has to grill for me to make up for all my running on the pitch," said finalist Jabeur, laughing. Right after her match point, she pulled Maria next to her to give her the appropriate cheering from the crowd. "I definitely wanted that moment with her share at the end, she is such a huge inspiration to all players including me. I still can't believe she came back with two kids and made it through."
For the biggest success of her career, Maria collects the equivalent of 626,000 euros. However, the surprise of the tournament could not reach the Wimbledon final as the sixth German tennis player after Cilly Aussem, Hilde Krahwinkel, Steffi Graf, Sabine Lisicki and Angelique Kerber. "In the end Ons Jabeur was the better player, you have to acknowledge that. It was another great fight, she came back and tried everything," said women's national coach Barbara Rittner. "It was a great semi-final, with all the finesse. All in all, it was a great two weeks from her. Tennis Germany is proud of Tatjana Maria, just as she represented Germany."
