Former Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki has received huge respect from tennis Olympic champion Belinda Bencic for making a comeback after a long break.
“I’m extremely happy for her. She was so unlucky with injuries and I know how it feels,” said Swiss Bencic in Berlin. “She’s a fighter, you can really see that she really loves tennis.”
Lisicki will meet Bencic in the first round of next week’s grass tournament in Bad Homburg, who reached the final against Ons Jabeur from Tunisia in Berlin. “It’s obviously a tough draw,” said Lisicki. “On the other hand, I’m looking forward to the match, then I can see directly where I stand, what I still have to work on and have nothing to lose.”
Lisicki recently celebrated her comeback after a severe cruciate ligament injury and a year and a half of injury. The 32-year-old missed out on qualifying for the main draw at her home tournament in Berlin and has a wild card for Bad Homburg – a starting right for players who are not high enough in the world rankings. “It’s very nice that she gets wildcards and that the way back is made easy for her. We know each other very well and exchange ideas,” said Bencic.