Julia Görges will be the top seeded player at the WTA tournament in Linz on Wednesday. Before her opening match against Andrea Petkovic, the 29-year-old talked about the reasons for her success over the last few months, about tears when she entered the Top-10 and why she doesn’t mind missing the WTA Finals in Singapore.
It was in February, in St. Petersburg. “I was at the airport with my physio,” recalls Görges. After winning a tournament in Auckland and making it to the semi-finals in the Russian metropolis, she finally arrived in the world elite. For the first time she was among the ten best players in the world.
“I probably ate some tears,” admits Görges. “The years before were very hard, I was in the top 100, often even in the top 50, but that wasn’t really satisfying.” She knew that she could be dangerous on the pitch with her skills, but often didn’t get to the point in matches when it mattered.
That changed abruptly about a year ago, however, when the strong serving player first won a tournament in Moscow, then went undefeated at the B Final in Zhuhai and celebrated her biggest title to date. With the success in Auckland a good three months later, Görges was stopped at the Australian Open after 15 consecutive wins over the seasons.
A Wimbledon semi-final is behind her, and at the end of August she had her first single-digit ranking. “That was actually a bit more emotional – even though there were no tears”, says the current number nine of the world.
According to her own statements, her physio Florian Zitzelsberger, who made her “fitter and more athletic”, played a large part in her success. “It was important that I developed physically. The dosage of my strokes is different, because I don’t have to start the winner after three or four strokes. Now I can get over my footwork and fitness.”
While in the past she could not constantly play out her dangerousness, today Görges speaks of a “mental toughness” that gives her “courage for more”. “The journey is not yet over.”
Her journey first took her to the TipsArena on the Gugl, the elevated district of Linz. There she will play her compatriot Andrea Petkovic in the first round on Wednesday evening. “She’s a great player who’s already been in the top 10. Whether my opponent comes from Germany or not, I try to see it positively and focus on myself.”
And then she delivers an interesting postscript: “Sometimes it doesn’t matter whether a victory or a defeat comes out. Sometimes it’s much more important to see what was good and what I have to work on.”
For while the second seeded Kiki Bertens in Linz is still concerned with a possible participation in the WTA Finals in Singapore, this train has already left for Görges. For Görges, it’s no big deal.
“I don’t know if it might have been a bit too much,” she said, “there was so much to process this year, and it takes a little time to realize it.” Suddenly Görges is already a sought-after person before the tournament, “one and a half years ago nobody cared about me. But I don’t want to say whether it’s better or worse,” Görges said with a wink.
It takes a few months for this to feel normal. “You’re getting more attention, and you need to find the right balance, have enough energy for your job.”
Because this job, Görges stresses again and again, is a lot of fun for her. She does not want to change this in the coming months and years. There are more tears of joy to follow.