Dhe Australian tennis fans in Melbourne sometimes have a keen sense for high quality and appealing athletic performance. Jule Niemeier received a standing ovation from the audience on Monday after her close and for her extremely bitter 4:6 and 5:7 defeat against world number one Iga Swiatek when she left Melbourne’s Center Court after almost two hours. The Killers’ rock song “Mister Brightside” roared from the speakers in the Rod Laver Arena. The winner Swiatek also clapped for the defeated German.
When Jule Niemeier appeared for the interview shortly before 11 p.m. local time, it was clear: the positive reactions from the fans had not really encouraged them. The 23-year-old took a seat with her baseball cap pulled low over her face. At the moment she can’t take any positive things with her, she admitted and added a little later: “I wasn’t here to deliver a nice match, whether against Iga or anyone else. I would have loved to have won the match.”
Niemeier remains positive and confident
In fact, beating last season’s best player would have been possible. Niemeier had already brought Swiatek to the brink of defeat in New York in August when she convincingly won the first set in the round of 16 of the US Open. However, the Pole turned the match around and won her third Grand Slam title a few days later. The Melbourne first round match on Monday was hardly less close than the duel in New York.
In the first set, Niemeier missed her only two break chances of the first round when the score was 3:3. The second missed chance was particularly painful, as she hadn’t moved up fast enough after an aggressive backhand ball. Her forehand, which was hit too late, got caught in the net. When Niemeier served shortly afterwards against the loss of the set, a forehand volleyball bounced back from the edge of the net.
Most of the players in similar ranking positions as Niemeier, who is listed in 69th place, would have mourned the missed chances after such a close game against the best player in the world and possibly lost them both physically and mentally. However, Jule Niemeier proved with her breakthrough last year that she can dominate on big pitches against good opponents. Former world number two Annett Kontaveit felt that in the second round of Wimbledon. To the chagrin of the Germans, however, there were no world ranking points in London due to the sports-political disputes between the associations. Otherwise she could be around 25 places higher in the world rankings.
“But I also played against Swiatek and two other players from the top 10. You have to accept defeats,” Niemeier put it into perspective. There have been positive things in the past matches. “I could have played a third set quite relaxed and was able to keep up with one of the fittest players on the tour. The fact that my body is holding up is very positive,” said Niemeier.
Between her national team appearances in the Billie Jean King relegation in November and the new United Cup mixed competition in January, the Dortmund native was not able to complete any extensive preparation, as her tour coach Christopher Kas also emphasized. Nevertheless, Jule Niemeier remained positive and self-confident in Melbourne, Swiatek took the serve right at the start of the second set. She reached the peak of self-confidence thanks to a remarkable backhand stop, with which she won her serve to make it 4-2. At 5: 4 and 30: 0 she was only two points away from equalizing the set.
Then the momentum changed. After Swiatek won the match, Niemeier could only congratulate him. “Top players act even better in tight situations. There were also one or two lucky points. In my opinion, I don’t have much to blame myself for today.”
A nice side effect: In Niemeier’s box, Eva Lys and her father were not just two friendly fans, but real Grand Slam debutants. Lys, who had just turned 20, fought her way through qualification for the first time and dominated the first set against Spain’s Cristina Bucsa on Monday morning with her outstanding backhand. After the 6:2 she only won two games. “Then I lost my focus a bit,” said the Hamburg native with Ukrainian roots. She hit too many balls behind her body and injured her wrist when she was hit. Even after a medical break, she was no longer able to play the necessary level on the pitch.
She is a very top-heavy person, so the experience is very important for her. “I learn well and quickly from things like that. I know what potential I have. That didn’t fail today because of the tennis, but because of the new circumstances.” At the end of the first day of the Melbourne match there were only German defeats. Nevertheless, there is hope for women’s tennis: Jule Niemeier as front woman, Eva Lys and Nastasja Schunk, who is currently injured in the shoulder, can compete with many competitors on better days. Then they get applause not only for a defeat.
