Even after the first-round defeat in Indian Wells, Wimbledon quarter-finalist Jule Niemeier saw no reason to worry.
After the 5: 7, 4: 6 against Katerina Siniakova from the Czech Republic, the 23-year-old from Dortmund explained calmly and factually why the situation for her as a German tennis hope is not as dramatic as it was after the many lost matches this year could accept. "I believe that at some point the switch will flip and I might do a series like Dortmund," said the Borussia supporter of the German Press Agency. "I'm aware that this is an issue in the press and it has to be addressed. But press is always black or white, when you win everything is nice and when you lose everything sucks. But that's the way it is now sometimes not in sports."
After weak performances in the first half of the Bundesliga, BVB recently had a series of ten wins that only ended in the Champions League on Tuesday with a 2-0 defeat against Chelsea. For her part, Niemeier has to deal with losing nine of eleven games this year. As was the case with the tournaments in Mexico, Medira and Monterrey, the tournament in Indian Wells was over right after the first round.
"Ain't No Shame"
"Maybe it's a question of conviction in crucial moments, which is also normal when you don't have a lot of experience or have lost a lot of matches lately," said Niemeier about the defeat against Siniakova. "It's not a shame that I lost today, by no means. It's not that I lost to a pearl barley."
What is also important to her: For the first time ever, she was in the main draw at a Masters and didn't have to qualify first. "Of course it's not going the way I or the team imagined it would be, but you have to see the big picture. I'm still new to the tour, this is my first full year that I can play now," said number 72 in the world rankings. Better in Germany is currently only Tatjana Maria in 70th place, who made it into the second round as the only German in the Californian desert. In Wimbledon last summer, both of them celebrated tennis, in the quarterfinals there was a direct duel with the better end for Maria, who was twelve years older.
Only: Because the Grand Slam tournament did not allow professionals from Russia to compete because of the war in Ukraine, there were no world ranking points for the successes in England. "It's bitter that there were no points for Wimbledon, otherwise I might have been seeded here, but that's the way it is," said Niemeier.
Respect from Haas
However, the Dortmund player has earned the respect of tournament director Tommy Haas. "Niemeier has a good game, she can also go far in major tournaments, but I don't know her that well to say it will only take a while now. She impressed me at the tournament in Wimbledon," said the former world number two the German Press Agency.
Niemeier wants to prepare for the next Masters in Miami until next week at the facility in Indian Wells, which is so popular with professionals. And sees no reason to worry. "I don't play bad tennis. It would be much, much worse if my game wasn't there and I feel like I don't have the level to beat people. But I have the level, I proved that last year ", she said and added: "And I know that that can be the case every week when a new tournament starts. That I can beat very good players. I know how fast it goes in sport. A sense of achievement and it's going up."
Indian Wells seedings
