Sometimes life takes strange paths!
Laura Siegemund (34) is the last German at the Australian Open. The other nine professionals are already out. The Stuttgarter has to play against the fourth in the world rankings Carolin Garcia (29) from France on Saturday night.
Siegemund in the 3rd round of Melbourne, she probably didn’t expect that herself. At least she has already planned her travel according to the doubles schedule on the WTA tour. The individual should only run alongside.
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After a long injury break, Siegemund fell far behind in the world rankings and is currently 158. Thanks to the success in Australia, she is now knocking on the top 120, with a sensational win against Garcia the top 100 would beckon. Then she wouldn’t have to qualify at the French Open.
Nevertheless, Siegemund wants to concentrate on the doubles with the Belgian Kirsten Flipkens (37) in the future. “I know that I can play very good tennis. That’s not why I’m going to focus on doubles. In singles, I can keep up with two matches in a tournament, but you have to win five matches and that’s difficult.”
She can do both in Melbourne, because without unpredictable weather, you always have a day off between the individual laps. “It’s different from other tournaments where you have to play every day. This helps. I’m still brisk, but I put too much strain on my body in the individual races,” says the 2017 Stuttgart winner.
Hence the decision to double. But she promises: “Where I can play individually, I will do that.” Because the motivation is still there. After the second round win against the Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu, the Swabian said in her typical dialect: “We both walked on the gums. But you have to clench your buttocks a bit and hope that you rock the thing, I did that.”
Laura Siegemund was in the quarterfinals in Paris 2020. Her greatest Grand Slam success to date
She takes it easy that she is now an outsider. With her friend and trainer Antonio Zucca (30), she analyzed what to expect: “I have nothing to lose against Caroline. I go there very relaxed. I have to play very good tennis, but the pressure is on her.”
And this is your chance…
