On a number of different levels, Julia Goerges’ success at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart was a wonderful story. She shocked a clutch of top names on her way to the title, including Sam Stosur and Caroline Wozniacki. Goerges also got by Victoria Azarenka, though that was via retirement as the world number five had to quit with a shoulder injury in their quarter final match.
Victory in Stuttgart is the second – and biggest – WTA crown of Goerges’ young career. She is also the first German in seventeen years to win the Stuttgart title: “It’s just a dream – to beat a world number one, in a final, in Germany – it can’t be better for me. I am proud of what I did to beat Caroline, for me a deserving number one.”
The 22 year old will now break the top 30 in the rankings for the first time – meaning a valuable seeding for next month’s French Open: “It was one of my goals this year to be seeded at the Slams. So it’s a big achievement to know that now I will be for Roland Garros and probably Wimbledon.”
I was fortunate to commentate Goerges’ wins over both Stosur and Wozniacki in Stuttgart’s Porsche Arena and the main thing that sticks is just how much she has developed. Goerges always owned an excellent backhand but has improved a ton in other areas including her serve and her retrieving skills. What was most pleasing to see though was a real belief that she can now compete with and beat the top names on the WTA: “For me it’s good that I can beat the top players finally, because a few years ago I was standing on the court and wondering what I was doing against them. I think it helped that I played a lot of top players at the Slams in the past. Even though I lost it was good experience, playing names like Serena and Sharapova on big stadium courts.”
Despite being unable to claim a fourth WTA singles title of 2011, Wozniacki still had yet another good week and impressed most in her quarter final win over a pumped-up Andrea Petkovic – some revenge for her defeat to the German at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. But the world number one seemed tired against Goerges. Wozniacki did extra early morning fitness work throughout the week in Stuttgart and perhaps that was a factor in her final performance although she was too magnanimous to say so: “I don’t think the extra fitness was the reason I lost. Julia hit heavy shots and it was tough for me to get back and stay in the points.”
Her defeat to Goerges means that for all her achievements, Wozniacki is still to win a WTA title on red clay. But with her consistency, it would be very brave to suggest that the Dane won’t change that stat in either Madrid or Rome next month.
Guy McCrea is a contributing writer at On The Baseline Tennis News and a commentator on WTA tennis for television and radio. Follow Guy on Twitter: @guy_mccrea
Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!! anybody but Woz!!!!
Why?
I have been following Julia and her steadily-developing game for quite some time now. I must say it was pure joy, for so many reasons, to watch her excel at Stuttgart.
I love the passion she exudes on the court yet, with much ease and sincerity, still being so modest and gracious in victory. As I watched her confidently close out the biggest “W” of her young, promising career, with all the things I could have – and justifiably should have – said, all that came out was “good for her”. But that likely was because I was smiling so big I couldn’t form any more words :)))
That being the case, I would like to properly punctuate my complete, formal assessment of her magnificent display of athleticism, talent, and grace by concluding:
“Good for Tennis” !!!