If Andrea Petkovic was observed in the quarter-finals of the WTA 250 tournament in Melbourne, there was no trace of fatigue in the Germans: As in her best times, the 34-year-old fought doggedly against the four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka for every point, In the end, despite a 4-2 lead in the second set, it was a two-set defeat for them.

Nevertheless, Petkovic's quarter-finals were a good start to the 2022 season. The season that could possibly be her last on the tour. "I see the finish line. I don't know if it will be this season or the next, but I see the finish line. And sometimes it makes me really sad because that's my passion," said the current world number 75. in conversation with the WTA .

Long regeneration process leaves traces

The main reason why Petkovic thought about ending her career was the increasingly long regeneration process: "Usually, after the three or four weeks before the pre-season, I always feel fresh. For the first time, I had the feeling that I wasn't doing the whole thing I've gained freshness. So I felt that the recovery process is a little slower. "

Otherwise, she would still love everything about tennis: "I think that would really be the trick in life, if you could have the mind of a more experienced person and the body of a young person. That would give you a perfect life, but like this things don't work. "

"Wants to fight for every point"

Therefore, this year Petkovic is about bringing her "best possible version" onto the pitch. "I just want to go out there and fight for every point, believe in myself and then see how far my body can go," said the former world number nine.

At least at the first tournament of the year, Petkovic already managed to do this very well - and given her attitude, it can be assumed that the Germans will not fail at the Australian Open starting on January 17th due to a lack of fighting spirit.

You can read the entire interview here.

Here the single tableau in Melbourne 1

laver arena