The German Fed Cup team is on weekend in the match against host Belarus underdogs. Tatjana Maria, who celebrates her comeback after almost seven years, is regarded as a beacon of hope.
On Thursday, the DTB quartet had also completed the first unit in the Marriott Hotel’s gym before breakfast. Afterwards: Breakfast, training at the Chizhovka Arena Court and a “Mobility Session”, as fitness coach Mike Diehl calls it. The atmosphere is excellent in the German team, which is weakened by the lack of replacements, but one day before the draw on Friday the tension is rising.
Respect? Sure! Scared? No!”The Belarussians are very strong, a difficult opponent – but the other teams would have been too. We didn’t go to Minsk just to shake hands there,”said the new team boss Jens Gerlach before his debut. The 44-year-old, at any rate, impressed the hosts in his own way: at the end of the press conference on Media Day, the Stuttgart player shone with a few sentences in Russian – a remnant from his time as coach of former French Open winner Anastasia Myskina.
The dream of the semi-final is alive and well. Despite the absence of the triumvirate Angelique Kerber/Julia Görges/Carina Witthöft. Tatjana Maria, the returnee, summed up the motto for the mission of Minsk:”It is important to believe in us and get everything we have” The 30-year-old was last on the team in 2011 – at that time still under her maiden name Malek.
Much has changed since then – not only in tennis, but also in the life of the ever friendly Swan, who lives in Florida with her husband and coach Charles Edouard Maria. Meanwhile “Tatte” is the mother of four-year-old Charlotte and enjoys the daily tour with her sweet and curly attachment. The mobile family business Maria is well known – and extremely popular with colleagues, tournament bosses and fans.
And if you believe in the world rankings-58th, this model will set a precedent:”Many people simply want to have a family. The topic has become more topical because you can now play on the tour for much longer,”says Maria. The best-known examples: the mothers Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka “They are wonderful ambassadors for the family theme”, Maria stressed.
She herself is the best example of the fact that family and the travel-intensive life as a professional tennis player can now be reconciled well for women, too. Four players in the circuit have children. Charlotte’s favourite playmate is usually Karin, the daughter of the Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko.
And Mama M (ar)ia even played when she was already three months pregnant. Only four months after the birth of Charlotte, she returned to the professional business:”Since then I enjoy everything much more, it’s much nicer,”said the native of Bad Saulgauerin, who also took her two-handed backhand in the break and now plays it with one hand. It is fitting that in November 2017 and at the age of 30, Maria reached her highest ranking in the world rankings (46th) so far.
At home in the beautiful West Palm Beach in Sunshine State is no less than Venus Williams the neighbour of Marias. Venus was also the babysitter of Charlotte,”said Maria. Her mother Margit and her parents-in-law help look after the sweet granddaughter when Charles and Tatjana earn the bread on the court.
At the weekend it is Jens Gerlach who counts on Maria. Besides Anna-Lena Friedsam, Antonia Lottner and double-specialist Anna-Lena Grönefeld belong to the team:”Tatjana has played a strong last season. At the Australian Open she had a difficult draw, but she presented herself well against Maria Sharapova especially in the second set. With her we have a very experienced player in our team”, Gerlach praised the Swabian, who is a role model in many respects.
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