[ad_1]
| Venue: All England Club Dates: 27 June-10 July |
| Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. |
Germany’s Tatjana Maria said she “did everything to live her dreams” as the 34-year-old stunned 12th seed Jelena Ostapenko to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final.
Maria returned to the sport last July following her second maternity break to become the first mother-of-two to reach this stage at Wimbledon.
The world number 103 saved match points as she came back to beat the 2017 French Open champion 5-7 7-5 7-5.
“I can appreciate it more,” she said.
“For me it’s super great. I did everything out there to live my dreams at the end. But I know also there are more important things outside,” Maria added.
“For me, it doesn’t change anything on my outside. I’m a mom. I love to be a mom. I love my two kids.”
Maria, the oldest player remaining in the women’s draw, practised with the elder of her two daughters prior to the match.
Her first Grand Slam singles quarter-final was sealed with her second match point, as she served for the win for a second time.
Maria, who took a three-month maternity break from tennis in 2021, will face compatriot Jule Niemeier next after the 22-year-old world number 97 defeated Britain’s Heather Watson 6-2 6-4 on Centre Court.
“There’s always the belief that I can do it. I mean, that’s why I came back after the first one. It’s why I came back after the second one,” Maria said.
“If I don’t believe I can do these things, then I would not be here. So there’s always this believing [to] keep going and improving and trying my best.
“I’m now in the quarter-final of Wimbledon, so it’s really amazing for me. This means also that you always have to keep going.
“It doesn’t matter how old you are, it doesn’t matter how many kids you have, you just have to keep going and to believe in yourself.”
Latvia’s Ostapenko threw her water bottle down in frustration following defeat, knocking over her chair with some spectators booing on Court One.
Meanwhile, Czech Marie Bouzkova, 23, closed out victory over France’s Caroline Garcia by winning the final five games to progress 7-5 6-2.
The world number 66, who like German players Niemeier and Maria will contest her first major quarter-final, will face Tunisian third seed Ons Jabeur or Belgian 24th seed Elise Mertens.
[ad_2]
