Bonita Springs – Former Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki also wants to be a role model with her tennis comeback after a long break.
“I also want to inspire people not to give up and to get up again. We all had a hard time in the past years, also with Corona and all the consequences. That’s why it was all the more important for me to stick with it and work my way back up,” the 32-year-old told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” in an interview.
Lisicki had won against Japan’s Ena Shibahara in her first match after an 18-month break at the opening qualifying round of the ITF tournament in Bonita Springs, Florida, USA, but missed out on the main draw a day later. “I can’t remember a woman in tennis ever coming back from such a serious injury. In my case, everything was torn and broken: cruciate ligament, medial ligament, lateral ligament, meniscus. Others have ended their careers with an injury,” Lisicki said. This match was “like a reward, like a gift”.
Lisicki still wants to play in Sarasota next week and then prepare herself on grass in Europe. She hopes to take part in the tournament in her hometown Berlin. “That would mean the world to me. But it’s out of my hands. That’s why I’m waiting, I’ve asked. “
