Laura Siegemund is flying the flag for Germany at Wimbledon. In the singles, anything seems possible for her.
Laura Siegemund’s euphoria at reaching the last 16 had faded a little after another grueling doubles match and some much-needed treatment, but she was still very proud on Friday evening. In terms of results, it was “absolutely one of the greatest successes of my career,” said the Swabian in Wimbledon after her surprise victory over Australian Open winner Madison Keys.
Siegemund is flying the German flag at the classic grass court tournament in southwest London, having exceeded even her own expectations with her unexpected run in the singles. The doubles specialist is now considering how to approach her other two competitions.
“I feel okay. I’ll see how I feel when I wake up tomorrow. I’ll have to think about the mixed doubles. It’ll be tough to play all three,” said the 37-year-old – because suddenly, a lot seems possible for the world number 104 in singles. She has already made history.
Siegemund joins illustrious ranks
By reaching the round of 16 at the age of 37, she joined an illustrious group at Wimbledon: Before her, only Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Virginia Wade, and Serena and Venus Williams had achieved this in the Open Era (since 1968).
In the round of 16, she will face Argentina’s Solana Sierra, who advanced to the round of 16 as a lucky loser in her Wimbledon debut. “We are both in a position where we didn’t think we would get this far,” said Siegemund. Sierra is “an up-and-coming young player.” But she is full of confidence: Siegemund also won her first-round doubles match on Friday alongside Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia.
