Tatjana Maria entered the court for her first match at Queen\u2019s Club in a crisis. It had been two months since the 37-year-old had last won a match and in that time she had registered nine consecutive defeats. Not even a return to her favourite surface, grass, shifted her downward trajectory: her previous match, at the Birmingham Open, ended in a straight-sets defeat by an opponent ranked No 229.<\/p>\n
Just over a week later, Maria stands as the first women\u2019s champion at Queen\u2019s Club for 52 years at the end of an extraordinary giantkilling run as she bamboozled Amanda Anisimova, the 8th seed and world No 15, 6-3, 6-4 to win the biggest title of her enduring career.<\/p>\n
Maria, a qualifier, is the oldest WTA 500 champion in history, an achievement she pulled off by defeating four top-20 opponents in a row. \u201cIt means a lot to me, because actually, I\u2019m 37 years old and I won this trophy today,\u201d she said. \u201cIn the past, people were always saying: \u2018Oh, now maybe it\u2019s time. You are too old. You are \u2026\u2019 Whatever reason they say sometimes. But actually, I\u2019m a good example that even at my age you still can win big trophies.\u201d<\/p>\n
The German, who is coached by her husband, Charles-\u00c9douard Maria, continued: \u201cI\u2019m super proud of myself that I could win this tournament, because actually, I always believed in it, and my husband too. That\u2019s also why we kept going, because there was always this belief that I can win big tournaments and that I can do great things on the court. I\u2019m really, really proud of this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tatjana Maria shapes to slice a single-handed backhand against Amanda Anisimova. Photograph: Alberto Pezzali\/AP<\/p>\n
Despite her poor form and modest ranking of No 86, Maria has significant pedigree on grass, a surface her game is built for, and in 2022 she reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon. In an era dominated by destructive, flashy shotmakers, Maria has mastered the art of junk balling \u2013 using her deep toolbox of shots to rob opponents of the pace that most players feed off.<\/p>\n
On grass, Maria predominantly slices off both forehand and backhand, shots that bounce excruciatingly low on the skidding surface, forcing players to hit the ball far out of the preferred strike zone and generate their own pace. She also uses her delicate hands well around the net.<\/p>\n
In her seven-match march through the draw, Maria has found herself up against some of the biggest ball-strikers on the tour and expertly neutralised each of them in kind. As was the case for the reigning Australian Open champion, Madison Keys<\/a>, and Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon winner, Anisimova looked extremely uncomfortable from the beginning, spraying unforced errors and unable to find her range or rhythm. Maria sliced her 23-year-old opponent to pieces, constantly drawing her into uncomfortable positions on the court while exposing the one-dimensional nature of the American\u2019s game. She also served and defended extremely well.<\/p>\n \u201cJust not something you\u2019re used to,\u201d Anisimova said of Maria\u2019s playing style. \u201cI mean, most of my matches, I\u2019m not getting a slice after every single ball. It\u2019s definitely different, but everyone has their own way of playing. It\u2019s just something you need to adjust and adapt to.\u201d<\/p>\n After closing out a stellar win, Maria immediately sprinted over to her player box, where she embraced her husband and their daughters, 11-year-old Charlotte, an aspiring player herself, and four\u2011year\u2011old Cecilia. One of Maria\u2019s biggest goals is to one day play doubles professionally with Charlotte.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend\u2019s action<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n \u201cShe will turn 12 at the end of the year, and you can start to play on tour when you\u2019re 14,\u201d Maria said. \u201cSo I have a few more years to go, but it would really be my goal to do this, because I would love to play with her on the tour for doubles. She\u2019s been on tour since she\u2019s three months old, actually. It\u2019s her dream. And if my body holds, if I really enjoy playing tennis, I would love to keep going and to play doubles with her.\u201d<\/p>\n A general view of Queen\u2019s Club during the quarter-final between Zheng Qinwen and Emma Raducanu shows the sizable crowd. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge\/Action Images\/Reuters<\/p>\n Fifty-two years after professional women\u2019s tennis players last populated these courts, Maria\u2019s victory marked the end of a special homecoming. Considering the success of the men\u2019s event, this tournament began with high expectations yet it has exceeded them. Significant crowds have been present all week, with a total of 62,000 visitors passing through the gates, a number that few stand-alone WTA events can command today. A return to a historic venue also meant greater exposure, with a strong showing on BBC One and Two throughout the week.<\/p>\n As with the ATP Queen\u2019s Club event, which begins on Monday and has long been a player favourite, almost every player has spoken in glowing terms about the tournament and the stewardship of its tournament director, Laura Robson. In its first year, it has established a strong base to build on as it seeks to establish itself as one of the leading events of its stature on the tour.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tatjana Maria entered the court for her first match at Queen\u2019s Club in a crisis. 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