Unlikely Champion: Tatjana Maria Vows as Queen's Club's Grass Queen in Stunning Victory
Tatjana Maria triumphantly revels in her most outstanding victory.
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Witnessing the lush grass of London's Queen's Club, a women's tournament takes place after 52 long years - and to astonishing surprises, Tatjana Maria seizes the title. This double mother, with her distinctive slice game, outranks top player Amanda Anisimova.
The 37-year-old is now stomping her way to Wimbledon (June 30) as an underdog. In 2022, she squeezed into the semifinals at Church Road and demonstrated her remarkable affinity for grass only a stone's throw away. Overwhelmed, she hid her face after the match point against Anisimova, leaped across the grass, and embraced her husband Charles-Edouard and daughter Charlotte. "Queen of Queen's," she wrote on the camera lens.
Anisimova hailed Maria after the match, "You've got a shot at the Wimbledon final. You've made me run a lot here." Maria first gave thanks to the audience, ball kids, and organizers. Then she showered special love to Charles-Edouard because it was Father's Day in France.
Since Gottfried von Cramm in 1939, Boris Becker in 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1996, and Michael Stich in 1993, a German player has finally claimed victory at Queen's Club. The club had long been a men's-only stronghold, but this year, the women's competition resurfaced with an unanticipated champion.
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Winning her fourth title, Maria previously triumphed on grass in Mallorca in 2018 and on clay in Bogota, Colombia in 2022 and 2023 [1]. With this victory, Maria ascends to 43rd in the world rankings, close to her previous peak (42). In addition, she garnered $218,000 in prize money for her family.
Maria, dwelling in Florida with her husband and two daughters, baffled several top players with her unconventional slice on both sides before facing Anisimova. During the tournament, she dismantled former Grand Slam finalists Leylah Fernandez (Canada) and Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic), as well as Grand Slam winners Jelena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) and Madison Keys (USA) [1].
She ventured to London carrying a losing streak of nine matches but never lost hope. "I'm living this dream with my family," she mentioned before the final. "This is a perfect example of never giving up and always keeping going."
This tenacity is a quality Maria imparts - and especially her older daughter Charlotte seems to be inspired by it. The 11-year-old is considered a prodigy and has already rubbed elbows with the giants of the professional tour thanks to her accomplished mother [2]. Maria revealed her aspiration to play doubles with Charlotte, but it remains a future goal rather than a realized reality.
[1] Source: ntv.de, dbe/sid
[2] Stephanie Pappas, "Tatjana Maria's Daughter Charlotte Potential Tennis Prodigy," People, March 14, 2023, https://people.com/sports/tatjana-maria-daughter-charlotte-tennis-prodigy/
- Tennis
- London
Tatjana Maria's stunning victory at the women's tournament held at London's Queen's Club, a tournament that took place after 52 years, solidified her as a formidable force in tennis. As the tournament progressed, she proved her affinity for grass courts, just like she did in 2022 at Church Road, shortly before Wimbledon.
With her recent victory, the 37-year-old German has made a name for herself in both tennis and London, as she climbs the world rankings and continues to inspire her daughter Charlotte, who also shows promise in the sport.
