There is an old adage in tennis that you don’t win a match, you just have to make sure your opponent loses it. On some days it is enough not to play well, but better than the respective opponent. Hungary’s Dalma Galfi didn’t play particularly well at Wimbledon on Friday. But she played better than the German Jule Niemeier. Galfi is therefore now in the third round of the Grand Slam tournament in London. And Niemeier was eliminated after a 6: 4, 6: 7, 1: 6 like all other German players.
After the typical British rain that caused many delays on the first days of the tournament, there was not a single cloud in the sky on Friday. As early as eleven o’clock in the morning the sun was beating down relentlessly on the grass pitches. The airspace above Court No. 11, one of the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s checkerboard outdoor courts, was buzzing with activity.
Beetles, flying ants and all sorts of other creatures flew around. And Niemeier seemed somehow flighty from the start. Already after the first sentence she had made 19 so-called “unforced errors”. After the second set there were 37, in the end 55. Even the fact that her opponent slipped on the way to the net and then seemed physically no longer fit, Jule Niemeier was ultimately unable to benefit.
The Hungarian Dalma Galfi prevails against Niemeier. : Image: AP
Last year, the Dortmund native developed an unexpected force in the first rounds at Wimbledon. She had played like a player who had just discovered that she could win against any opponent in the world. Since this run, which led her to a German quarter-final against Tatjana Maria, the 23-year-old has been struggling. She now plays like a player who fears she can lose to any opponent in the world.
Pirmin Clossé, London Published/Updated: , Pirmin Clossé, London Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 2 A comment by Achim Dreis Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 10
After Niemeier’s exit, there are no German players in the third round in Wimbledon this time. Only two minutes after her, Tamara Korpatsch lost her second round match against Serbian Natalija Stevanović 5:7, 5:7.
