Julia Goerges: "I do not miss tennis at all"

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Roland Garros 2020, that was the last stop as a player for Julia Goerges. It was the tournament with which the German closed her professional career, leaving behind fifteen years in the elite, seven individual titles, a Wimbledon semifinal, and a top10 ranking. Was she sufficiently valued by the press in her country? This is just one of the questions in the interview she granted some time ago to Tennis Magazin, where she explains how her life has changed since she hung up her racket. Will she accept that German women's tennis is going through a crisis? We hear from the German, who is also in a romantic relationship with the Dutchman Wesley Koolhof, retired less than a month ago.

A New Life

“The biggest change is the pace of life. Before, it was 24 hours a day thinking about tennis, timing every training session. I admit that for the first two years, I kept training, but then I relaxed, moved away from strength training, and focused more on yoga and meditation, seeking to develop a different bodily sensation. As an athlete, I always had very high expectations, but now I know my body much better. Today, I am heading in other directions that have nothing to do with tennis, although I occasionally comment on matches on television”.

Her Relationship with Tennis

“I don't miss tennis at all. Occasionally I can play with Wesley, but I don't seek it out. For all those years, it was my profession, my dream, but you have to be careful not to lose yourself because this world is very unique. Joy is sometimes defined by a victory or a defeat, although it shouldn't be that way. Stopping at that moment was very good for me, although I continued to watch tennis because of Wesley. What is certain is that I hold close to my heart all the memories and experiences I had as a player, tennis is still great to me”.

Dealing with Pressure

“My generation was that of Boris Becker and Steffi Graf, so it was tough at the beginning, with everyone asking when I would make the leap or when I would win a Grand Slam. In the end, I understood that it was part of the job, you can't influence what someone writes or thinks, but I learned to handle it as I got older. A couple of statements can control things because if you give a lot of yourself, there is a risk that things will be written that you don't want. It all depends on what you radiate and what you say, otherwise, expectations will be everywhere”.

Satisfied with Her Career

“I am at peace with what I achieved, grateful, and happy for what I accomplished throughout my tennis career. That's all that matters. What other people think, whether they appreciate me or not, respect me or not, is not in my hands. At some point, I learned to deal with that, you can't make everyone happy, although it was never my goal either. For me, it has been very important to find the right focus in life, to learn from that mental area, to find the positive every day”.

Her Current Favorite

“I really like Elena Rybakina because I identify with her way of playing tennis, she plays without concessions. Unlike her basic shots and her serve, I believe she can add something more at the net. I love those crisp and direct shots she has, in addition to her serve. I think with that, she can win Grand Slam tournaments, as she already showed at Wimbledon. I also like Iga Swiatek, her very athletic way of moving. Of course, Aryna Sabalenka must be mentioned, and how much she has evolved over the years. She is now at the top of the rankings and rightly so, but if I had to choose one, I would go with Rybakina”.

Is German Women's Tennis in Crisis?

“For our generation, it was difficult being compared to Steffi Graf, for the current ones, they will be compared to the Grand Slam titles of Angelique Kerber or the successes of Petkovic and Lisicki, even with me. It's tough; we also saw how the Grand Slam draws were full of German players, where at least one always made it to the second week. I can't judge the current tennis players; I never liked it when they did that with us without knowing what we were experiencing internally. Personally, I really like Noma Noha Akugue, but I don't know how she's handling it; in this era, the mental aspect is crucial. Besides her, I find it amazing what Tatjana Maria continues to do after being a mother several times; it's incredible to see her stay in the top100”.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Julia Goerges: “No echo de menos el tenis, en absoluto”