"My kids are the priority" - surprising Wimbledon semifinalist Maria on what fuels her success
WTA
Tatjana Maria got past the second round at the Grand Slam tournament only once before the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Now, she will be playing in the semi-finals.
Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, and Kim Clijsters are the only three mothers to win a Grand Slam title. Recently, Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams were only one match away from joining this club.
Now, the WTA World No. 103 player, Tatjana Maria, misses only two victories to become a member of this unique club. In the quarter-finals of the tournament, she bested Jule Niemeier in three sets. Following the win, she reflected on her journey as a mother.
"I always believed in this but to be now here in this spot. One year ago, I gave birth to my second daughter. If somebody would tell me one year later you are in a semi-final of Wimbledon, that’s crazy."
While Maria joined the club of only a few people on this planet who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals, she acknowledged that as a mother, her priorities are different now.
"To be a mum, for me, is on the top of my life, so I think it helps me in tennis too, because now my priority are my kids. I mean, for sure I play tennis, I want to do my best, and, yeah, that’s all I want. But my kids are the priority. If I go out here, I want my kids to be happy, healthy, that everything is OK. That’s the most important (thing) for me in my life."
At the same time, Maria sees her run as an inspiration. She knows many doubted her comeback, but she proved that she could beat the best on the biggest stage.
"I guess there are a lot of people who never believed I would come back. This was already after Charlotte and when I changed my backhand. To be honest, I showed it last time already that I am back."
"I mean, I reached the top 50 with Charlotte, and now I’m back with my second child. Still everybody was doubting. It’s a little bit my life (objective) to show everybody that I’m still here and I’m a fighter, and I keep going and I keep dreaming. That’s what I want to show my kids."
