Copyright: picture alliance / dpa
Andrea Petkovic, here on July 11, 2021 at the WTA tournament in Hamburg, won her first tennis tournament in six years in Cluj.
Andrea Petkovic won a tennis tournament for the first time since February 2015. She won the final match over Egypt’s Mayar Sherif at the WTA Championships in Cluj.
Cluj. Redeeming cheers from Andrea Petkovic (33) after what felt like an eternal spell from dryness! At the WTA tournament in Cluj-Napoca on Sunday (August 8, 2021), she won her first tournament in 2,366 days.
Petkovic confirmed the upward trend in the past weeks with the final victory (6:1, 6:1) over the Egyptian Mayar Sharif (25) and was clearly relieved after winning the championship.
Andrea Petkovic celebrates her first WTA win in six years
“It felt like six years longer,” Petkovic said after winning the title for the seventh time in her career. Her last tournament win so far was on February 15, 2015 at the WTA Championships in Antwerp.
“A lot of things happened, I was ready to end my career, I almost finished, I started five new jobs,” said the former world number nine, who is currently ranked 91st.
Petkovic was excited: “I am doing what I love most again, playing tennis, and then also winning – that is the best feeling. I am the happiest person in the whole world now.”
Andrea Petkovic in shape: ten wins in eleven matches
Petkovic had already qualified for the final at the WTA Championships in Hamburg four weeks ago and is now participating. Wimbledon won 10 out of 11 matches on July 1st.
She had to wait a long time for such a long streak of success, and also because of the constant injury problems. In addition to tennis, she has been promoting her television career as a second pillar in recent years and has hosted ZDF’s “Sport Report” at irregular intervals since the end of 2019.
And her last opponent, Sharif, ranked 119 in the world, had already made history by entering the final of the tournament, which received 200 thousand euros. She is the first Egyptian woman to reach the WTA Finals. (master / BC)