Julia Görges can leave Wimbledon with her head held high. The disappointment about the 2:6, 4:6 defeat against a strong Serena Williams lasted only briefly. The first semi-final entry at a Grand Slam tournament has made Görges desire for more.
By Ulrike Weinrich from Wimbledon
Julia Görges did not have too high expectations in terms of rewards after the end of her successful journey. “I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again. And maybe I’ll have a kebab at home,” said Görges – and the anticipation of a few relaxed days of “Dahoam” could be clearly seen by the 29-year-old.
Görges left the venerable All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) with his head held high. And not only that, she also left him extremely inspired by all the atmosphere and the impressive experiences of the past days. “Happy, proud, motivated” – this is how “Jule” summed up her emotional state.
One could clearly feel: The world rankings-13. smelled fuse. And she knew only too well that she didn’t have much to blame herself for after her defeat against Williams, who probably showed the best match since returning after her baby break. “The atmosphere on the Centre Court was something special,” Görges enthused and said with shining eyes: “When people applaud, when you hear the echo, wow, those are moments you work for.
At the same time it is an incentive to work even harder, “so that I can get back there, stand in the same place as today – and perhaps do it a little better next time”. Not much had been missing and Görges could have even put the seven-time Wimbledon winner in trouble again in the second set.
The player from Regensburg shortened to 4-5 with her first and only break, but then made a double mistake and gave her service game to lose the match to zero. “All in all, I think Serena knew how to win this game through her experience, which I still lack,” said Görges, who seemed anything but depressed in her apt match analysis.
Which was not surprising, if one has just observed them in the past two years. Görges draws a lot of energy from her new positive attitude. She prefers not to hear any more questions about “old Jule”, who sometimes brought herself into a negative whirl with cynicism.
The change from the often hesitant Görges to a curious woman who goes through the world with open eyes, no longer only reflects her matches and seems simply satisfied with herself and the world, he also has a lot to do with a radical change of course two and a half years ago.
The power player separated from her long-time coach Sascha Nensel and hired Michael Geserer as coach and Florian Zitzelsberger as physio and fitness expert. “Through those two, I’ve seen that there’s something else besides tennis: Life,” Görges told in the days of Wimbledon. She has an affair with Zitzelsberger.
But the greatest praise came from the champion herself on Thursday evening: “Julia played really well, I’ve never seen her so well. And I often see her because I really like watching her,” said Serena Williams after the semi-final and admitted: “I had to get my best performance today.
Görges will also have been extremely pleased with this statement. It is another confirmation that she is on the right track. But at first only one thing counted: the anticipation of having your own bed – and a kebab.