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The wonderfully weird world of Laura Siegemund
The 37-year-old German, who nearly pulled off the upset of the tournament against top seed Aryna Sabalenka, impressed with her old school tennis
Mumbai: With a giggle, Aryna Sabalenka said, “there is going to be less slices from (Amanda Anisimova).”
The question in the post-match press conference was about the prospect of playing the hard-hitting baseliner in the Wimbledon semi-final. It was one of the few inquiries that did not touch upon the struggle the top seed faced when she beat unfancied world No.104 Laura Siegemund a few hours earlier.
But in mentioning the “slices”, Sabalenka alluded to a fact she had not tried to hide. That she had been pushed to the brink by the 37-year-old German.
The match-up on Tuesday was between two players with vastly contrasting styles. Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, is one of the biggest hitters in the game. Her mantra is simple — see ball, hit ball, and hit very, very hard.
And then there was Siegemund. On the hallowed grounds of the All England Club, where the Wimbledon Championships prizes its age-old traditions, the veteran plays in a style that now seems is from a bygone era. There is no heavy-hitting. Instead there is a lot of heart in the chase and intent in subtleties. In this age of baseline brawls, Siegemund — a former US Open doubles winner and two-time mixed doubles Grand Slam champion — likes to charge up to the net and even brings her opponent forward with looping dropshots that die quickly on grass.
Siegemund takes her time between points, flirting with the 25-second shot clock to sneak in a few extra seconds. She slices with relish off both wings but can pack a punch when needed. Just as she did when she had a break point in the third game of the opening set. Sabalenka thumped a strong flat serve towards the middle, only for Siegemund to hammer a backhand inside-out return winner that sent the Belarussian scrambling.
The variations that she brings helped her get past 29th seed Leyla Fernandez and world No.8 Madison Keys in a run which, at 37 years and 118 days, made her the oldest first-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist. The changeups also made the match against Sabalenka entertaining. There was no predicting what would happen next.
“I’m pretty consistent with my weirdness,” the German had said during a press conference earlier in the tournament. “It does lead to confrontation sometimes. Then I’m just, like, well, that’s how I am.”
What she is, is an entertaining connoisseur of old school tennis. When variations, touch, feel and craft were the norm unlike the physical, hard-hitting game of today.
In many ways, Siegemund showed that the seemingly lost art still can have a place in the modern game — much to the point that towards the end, even Sabalenka started to slice with more purpose.
“I think mentally I made a mistake that if I go for slices I’ll give her extra time and then she’ll start doing her magic and start drop shotting and I’ll have to run a lot,” Sabalenka said.
Not expected to reach this deep in the tournament, Siegemund nearly pulled off the biggest upset, and the biggest win of her career. All with that brand of tennis that exudes an old-world charm.
Wonderfully weird.
