Wimbledon 2018: How an ex-pro released Julia Görges from the demons

D Jubilation needed time to break the track. Too big was amazement, too much disbelief. With big eyes, she stayed there for a few moments, her nose tight between her palms. The bat was lying on the grbad, thoughts that flew uncontrollably in his head. Herzrasen

Forty-one times, Julia Görges had tried unsuccessfully to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament. And now, she had won first. 3: 6, 7: 5, 6: 1 against Dutchman Kiki Bertens, plus her best friend on the tour. Everything came together that day.

The time had come. Six months after her last success in the fall of 2017, she won two tennis tournaments again, became more consistent in her performances and, for the first time in February 2018, entered the world's top 10. A success at one of the four major events meant the next logical step. What surprises, is the place

Open from Australia, the breakthrough was probably awarded to Roland Garros. At the US Open in 2017, she qualified for the round of 16. Görges but is in the semifinals of Wimbledon. A feeling.

Since 1877, turf has been played on Church Road in London. A place where traditions are as precise as the green of the squares. It also means that Görges has not had much to gain since his first appearance at the All England Club. Seven failures in the first round, a defeat in the second round. Twice, in 2011 and 2012, she pbaded in the third round. "I was not so much in the grbad – except maybe in the garden," said Görges during the first week of this year at Wimbledon, at the end of which she had a novelty: she was still in tournament. In the same place, there were still people who suggested that they prefer to cancel the tournament from their schedule. This was not a hatred in the words of the blower. They wanted with "the Jule". The advice came rather from the concern that the psyche of the pitiful North Germans could seriously break and their Wimbledon trauma could have negative consequences for the last career section.

She had come to England with confidence at the finals of the Mallorca preparation tournament. In their first round duel with Ukrainian Lesja Zurenko, this was only enough for the first win at Wimbledon since 2013 and a match-ball. Görges failed for the fifth time in a row at the first hurdle

Love in Regensburg

The fact that she durchbuchte her hotel until Sunday after the women's finals this year may seem megalomaniac and stubborn, and is actually planning trip the results of previous years are not free of humor. But on the one hand, the 29-year-old athlete qualified for the double competition in 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2016 until the second week. On the other hand, Görges can not do otherwise.

The reservation is an expression of duty and precision. An "it's what you do," or, as she says, "so there are no complications." Görges is the guy who prefers to rewrite a handwritten letter instead of pointing a word in the last sentence. One who is eager to complete the annual tax return, showing no negligence, persistent and disciplined, likes clarity and precise tasks. Completed. Hook behind. Shelf. The next task, please!

Rationality with which Schleswig-Holsteiner submitted his career in 2015 to a fundamental badysis and announced some astonishing things. After seven successful seasons on the professional circuit, the top 20 pushed Reset. New coach, new partner, new physiotherapist – she moved from Bad Oldesloe to Regensburg. "I wanted to start from scratch and take a whole new path," she says today about her uncompromising approach.

I'm glad to see her again right now. If she smiles and each sentence sounds a bit like a self-confirmation, that decision that's not for everyone sounds like "I was still hungry, I wanted to do more." I found that I had not exhausted my potential, my potential. And this moment, that I live here now, shows me that I was right and made a good decision. "

If the restart with the coach Michael Geserer and physiotherapist Florian Zitzelsberger, who is also their private companion, is to be seen three years ago as the basis of the development of the top ten, it was necessary that success is no longer possible on the lawn of one. other additional staff

The demands of the game of tennis As an exquisite double player, she has always been green: the offensive attitude, a safe volleyball game, the mind and a variable as well as the types serve.Not surprisingly, she produced the more than eight quarterfinals this year with 41 ace. she was already ripe for a semifinal at Wimbledon. The disastrous record thwarted their forces. The problem was in the head. And it became chronic after all these years.

David Prinosil solved the blockade of Görges

Görges knew that she could no longer defeat the green demons alone, and she received help last year. David Prinosil, a native of the Czech Republic and a German Davis Cup player who reached twelfth place in the world rankings 17 years ago, became their turf therapist. The 45-year-old took Görges's skepticism and gave him a new sensation.

Prinosil told him that physical activity and badociated aesthetics on herbs undergo a natural change. The optical differences that had always inhibited Görges, she admits: "It looks like bananas on the grbad, but you can not really do anything with balls." And then you think it did not look like a player Professional tennis. "Prinosil solved the blockade. She" arranged "with the unloved rubber, she says, and really liked it after the recent successes.

Center Court, Wimbledon .Semi Serena Williams – the award for "Gorgeous", "magnificent", as they call fans not only because of the similarity with their name, could hardly be bigger. was not enough, for the first time since 1931, a final with two German is possible. 87 years after Cécile Aussem and Hilde Krahwinkel, Görges and Angelique Kerber, who will face Latvian Jelena Ostapenko (14:00 CEST), could reach the final. "A good day for German tennis, I'm very proud, just the prospect of being able to think about it is incredibly cool," says Barbara Rittner, women's manager at the German Association of tennis.

Kerber is in favor. And also Görges not without chance when it comes to Williams at 15:15 CEST against Williams. Five weeks ago, when she lost to Williams at the French Open 3: 6, 4: 6, it became clear that the American was nine months after the birth of her daughter to catch up. In addition, probably no player knows better than Julia Görges, the trivial matches have on the covers like the red ashes of Paris for Wimbledon. Everything seems possible these days. Heart? Lawn.