“The most important thing in my life is to be the mother of my children. Nothing will change about that,” said the moved native of Bad Saulgau, when she defeated compatriot Jule Niemeier 4:6, 6:2, 7:5 in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon and for the first time in her career made her way into the top four players of the Grand Slam tournament.
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The 103rd player in the world ranking, who has never even made it past the third round, was looking forward to her daughters after an almost two and a half hour battle. “I’m in the semi-finals of Wimbledon, it’s crazy, but I’m still a mum. After the game I will go back to the kids and do what I do every day. I’ll be changing diapers again… I’m trying to stay as normal as possible because I’m proudest of being a mom.”
As a B.Sc. Maruska conquers London. A modest girl who is also loved by all her rivals
Maria gave birth to her first daughter, Charlotte, in December 2013. Four months later, she returned to the courts and achieved a career-best result when she won her first title in Mallorca in 2018. Then she took another maternity break. Although in her case there is no big break to speak of. Last April, the German gave birth to her second daughter, Cecilia, and just three months later she was touring tournaments again.
“Some people like to bungee jump. I like to return to tennis after the children,” laughed the nice German woman. “I think a lot of people didn’t believe I could come back. But no one close to me ever doubted it. That’s great and I’m proud that my family always supports me,” she emphasized.
Her husband and former professional tennis player Charles-Edouard is a big support for her. “He’s the one who believes in me a million percent. He’s here every day saying, I know you can do it. When you hear that from someone all the time, it gives you a lot of confidence.”
It is Maria’s husband who takes care of the children during the world tour. “He’s amazing, that’s true. He loves his girls. He only has girls and is very happy about it. But you know, we do it together. We are family. This is the most important thing for us. My career, his career, in the end it’s our career. It’s a family business, let’s say,” she laughed in an interview with wtatennis.com.
A naughty child grew into a champion. I do things my way, says Havlíčková
Family well-being is reflected in Maria’s game. “Being a mom is the highlight of my life, so I think that helps me in tennis as well,” she reflected. “When I play tennis, I want to give my best, that’s all I want. But my children are the priority. I want my children to be happy and healthy. This is the most important thing in life for me and for my husband as well. That’s why it works so well. We never fight about tennis because we both know that family is the most important thing. It will stay that way forever.”
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