The German tennis players caused beaming faces in Wimbledon – especially with national coach Barbara Rittner. 22-year-old Jule Niemeier sensationally made it into the quarter-finals of her second Grand Slam tournament. Even more successful: Tatjana Maria, who achieved the best result of her career by reaching the semi-finals.
Surprise that with Niemeier “the knot bursts so early”
She is proud, says Rittner: “The way they presented themselves, not only on the pitch but also around the pitch, that was absolutely great.” After a lot of criticism, some of which was justified, in the past few weeks and months, she also felt satisfaction with the performance.
“For me, Tatjana is the even bigger surprise than Jule Niemeier, because I know and knew what she was made of and that at some point the knot would burst. I didn’t really expect it to burst so early. But I knew that it will happen eventually.”
Rittner is optimistic about the future, in which even older players like Kerber or Petkovic could ensure success. “Neither in the bad phases did I lose the courage or confidence to believe in the youngsters because I know what comes next. And there are a number of players behind a Jule Niemeier who definitely have the potential , but they still need a bit of time to develop.” Players have to internalize perseverance, passion, tenacity and discipline, says Rittner.
Patience is the order of the day for youngsters
In the sports talk, Rittner talks about many years with Tajana Maria, who has now achieved her greatest success just 15 months after the birth of her second child. Rittner explains why Maria’s sensitive way of playing wasn’t always just an advantage, and why her fighting spirit helped her a lot.
She has also known the young Jule Niemeier for a long time and tells us which way she went. Rittner also explains how the nominations for the Billie Jean King Cup work together with Rainer Schüttler and how patient she has to be with young players until they can reach the highest level.