Who would have thought: The last German at the French Open is called Tamara Korpatsch. At the age of 31, she is in the third round of one of the four Grand Slams for the first time in her career. And that without the support of the German Tennis Association.
First of all, Tamara Korpatsch had to justify herself. When the joy of reaching the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time was still written all over her face, she was forced to comment again on a controversial scene in her match against the Chinese Wang Xinyu.
She had a good look at a ball at the end of the first set that was given out. Korpatsch, for her part, had indicated that where the ball had presumably landed, there were not just one but two prints in the sand, both out of bounds. That didn’t stop Wang from taking an unauthorized look herself and, secondly, from accusing Korpatsch of deliberately showing a false print.
Tamara Korpatsch and Xinyu Wang discuss the validity of a punch
The rest is history, Korpatsch forewent the usual handshake, the media had its little scandal. “I would be embarrassed to cheat here like that. I don’t even know how to cheat. There are so many cameras here that see everything.” The anger at what they considered to be unfounded accusations quickly gave way to pride and joy at what they had just achieved. A first. At 31 years old, after 15 years on the tour.
“Didn’t have much money”
The tennis statistics website tennisabstract.com lists August 22, 2011 as the first date for a professional match for Tamara Korpatsch. An ITF tournament of the lowest category in Braunschweig. She won a round.
It took almost two years for her to appear in the world rankings for the first time, having reached the second round in Versmold, East Westphalia. Place 814. “Yes, it wasn’t easy for us. We started with ITF tournaments in Germany because we didn’t have much money.” Korpatsch always speaks about himself in the plural. Your success is the success of the whole family.
Her father taught her to play tennis, and her mother is of course still present at every tournament today. “My mother is there to support us and sometimes also as a stringer. And now she’s also a dog sitter.” The Maltipoo Stella has also been part of Team Korpatsch for almost six months.
Versmold, Darmstadt, Ratingen, Braunschweig. What reads like an exciting trip to Germany was the foundation for Korpatsch’s career. Not the financial one. No, not by a long shot. It’s about the world ranking position. From the very small ITF tournaments to the larger ITF tournaments. Those that bring more points, that provide a little more prize money. Then maybe slip into a WTA tournament and qualify for the Grand Slams. Only then can money be earned.
Slept in the car
In 2016 the time had come. This was preceded by 15 wins in a row. In Darmstadt, Horb and Bad Saulgau. To put it in rock band language: Korpatsch played in the very small clubs. “We slept in the car back then. After a while we were able to afford a camper. We then slept in it next to the tournament facilities, which was quite a luxury for us.” Qualifying for the US Open was the first trip outside of Europe for the family business.
Tamara Korpatsch during a tennis tournament in Brisbane in 2016
But this story is far from romantic tennis. The 31-year-old also felt the responsibility to play successfully: “I had a lot of pressure to win. My parents gave everything to make sure I could become a professional. But at least I did it.”
Only 400 – 500 can make a living from tennis
Korpatsch was one of the players Aryna Sabalenka means when she says: “I’m not talking about myself here. I want to help ensure that players outside the top 100 can make a living from this sport.”
At Media Day, the top professionals limited their media presence to 15 minutes. They want to ensure that the Grand Slams pass on more than 15 percent of their sales to the players. Novak Djokovic, who played a key role in founding the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) union in 2021, had said years ago that only 400-500 players worldwide can make a living from tennis, spread across all competitions.
By reaching the third round, Korpatsch earned 187,000 euros. Before taxes are deducted. Still a milestone for the 31-year-old. After this French Open, she will be the third best player from Germany in the world rankings. After Laura Siegemund and Tatjana Maria and before Eva Lys.
No relation to DTB
Nevertheless, their relationship with the German Tennis Association can be described as non-existent. After all: the national women’s coach, Torben Beltz, is regularly at the Grand Slams and sits in the corner of Korpatsch.
Beltz also asked the Hamburg native whether she wanted to take part in the Billie Jean King Cup in Portugal. Korpatsch declined; she had the chance to return to the top 100 at the WTA tournament in Linz. She reached the round of 16 and returned to the exclusive club of the best 100 tennis players a week later.
The German team was relegated to the third division of the team competition for the first time. It is doubtful whether she will be there at the new beginning next year. In previous years, Korpatsch was not nominated despite good results and ranking positions. At the time, she felt misunderstood and ignored by former national coach Barbara Rittner.
On Friday we will face Elina Svitolina from Ukraine, seventh in the world rankings. Korpatsch is the clear outsider, but she has already prevailed against greater resistance in her career. In any case, the days of campers next to the tournament grounds seem to be over.
