Eva Lys at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: "It's a dream come true"
Eva Lys (WTA No. 342) has received one of the wildcards for qualifying at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix , and it starts for her on Saturday. Here's an interview with her.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Apr 23, 2022, 02:52 pm
Eva Lys is considered one of the most promising players in the German Tennis Association. In 2019, Lys won the world-renowned Eddie Herr youth tournament in Bradenton, following in the footsteps of Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick. In 2020 she won - still without a WTA ranking (!) - the ITF tournament in Altenkirchen, beating a top 200 player in the final. At the end of October 2021 she triumphed in Istanbul and in December also at the German Championships. The 20-year-old from the Porsche Talent Team lives in Glinde near Hamburg and serves in the second tennis Bundesliga for the "Club an der Alster". Lys recently achieved her best-ever ranking of 311th in the world rankings.
Ms. Lys, you traveled to Stuttgart on Wednesday, what is your first impression before the start of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix?
If you stand in the big hall and see the other two places - it's so incredibly huge! I was here as a spectator a few years ago, now as a player it is of course a great honor. I trained directly on Wednesday and completed two more sessions on Thursday. The first top players were there too, I saw Paula Badosa and Maria Sakkari, Ons Jabeur even hit a few balls in the Porsche Arena.
Have you played on indoor sand before?
So far only in an air dome that was built over a normal clay court. The court in Stuttgart is a bit harder, so it's a lot faster, but the balls bounce quite high. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I love the place! I really like fast rubbers, so I feel good all around.
Do you remember your first visit to the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix?
Yes, that was when I was eleven or twelve. I was at a DTB course in Stuttgart-Stammheim, which happened to take place during the week of the tournament. We were then picked up in Porsche cars and allowed to watch in the Porsche Arena - that was a big thing for all of us! We also got accreditations for the Players section. I will never forget that.
Do you remember who you saw?
Ana Ivanovic, she was still active at the time. We sat close to the seat and I couldn't shut my mouth - it was indescribably exciting! I even have a sticker from back then somewhere. Since then I've been watching the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix stream every year, it's one of my favorite tournaments.
How did you find out about your Quali Wildcard?
Barbara Rittner informed me. I was just in Portugal, a bit stressed because I was on my way to training and the taxi didn't come. Then I suddenly saw the message from Barbara... I was really happy! It's the biggest WTA tournament I've been able to play so far. Last year I took part in qualifying in Hamburg and Linz, now Stuttgart is coming – a dream has come true. I would also like to thank Barbara Rittner and Anke Huber again for this. It is an incredibly great opportunity that is offered to me here! I can gain incredible experiences.
Did you speculate on a wild card? After all, you are the current German tennis champion.
(thinks) It's all a little different after the Corona period, the qualifying field in Stuttgart is smaller than it used to be with 16 players. That's why I don't like to speculate on a wild card. I'm just so happy that I got one.
You mentioned your love for fast rubbers, in 2020 you even won one of the few tournaments in Altenkirchen that is still held on carpet. Did you train a lot on fast courts in the past?
I actually used to play a lot on carpet and hard courts in the winter, and of course on clay in the summer. I think my preference for fast courts comes from my style of play. The funny thing is: I trained almost exclusively with my sister for the first six or seven years (Lisa Matviyenko, editor's note) but we have a completely different game! She is more passive, loves to play outside on sand. It's actually crazy: we had the same coach, so my father, and the same conditions. And yet we have become completely different players. Maybe it's because of the character.
Are you very different, even off the pitch?
Yes absolutely. She's actually the more balanced of us, I'm the more emotional. You can see that in my game. I like to play aggressively, so the fast courts really suit me (laughs) .
Your sister is 24, is she still a professional player?
Lisa officially stopped two years ago, but still trains a lot. She started studying law two years ago and was just told that she passed all her exams, which of course made us very happy. But we both still play together in the second tennis league, in the club on the Alster in Hamburg.
You probably got into tennis through your father, right?
I agree. He is a full-time tennis coach and used to be a Davis Cup player in Ukraine. So it runs in the family. When my parents emigrated, I was only one and a half, and unfortunately my mother's law degree was not recognized in Germany. She had to start from scratch, learn the language first... She was out and about from early morning to late at night. That's why my father took us to kindergarten and school and picked us up. Of course he had to work in the afternoons, so we were always there on the pitch.
How is it now that your sister left - do you still talk a lot about tennis?
Lisa still lives at home with us, at the moment I even share a room with her because my Ukrainian grandparents are living with us at the moment. There is no person I am closer to than my sister. We exchange ideas every day, of course also about tennis.
You once cited Maria Sharapova as your great role model. What fascinated you about her?
I've always really liked Sharapova's style of play, as has Ana Ivanovic. I also like Bianca Andreescu a lot - all players, so to speak, who play tennis similar to me. I found the reference through my style. I like watching this kind of tennis.
Sharapova and Ivanovic are not the worst role models for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: Sharapova has won the title three times, Ivanovic was in the final...
Absolutely! You could always see the fire in their eyes, they enjoyed the atmosphere, the big stage. I would like to experience that too, and I want to do everything for it. I haven't had too much experience with a really large audience... but it has also given me a lot of energy in my previous finals or in important matches, with spectators cheering me on.
Ms. Lys, if we may ask: You spoke to your grandparents, who fled the Ukraine and are currently living with you in Glinde near Hamburg. How are you all doing, and also your great-uncle, who works as a doctor in a trauma clinic in Kyiv?
My grandparents are trying to settle in, but it's not easy for them. People who had to give up their old lives overnight... You can tell that everything hasn't really gotten to them yet. They still have the feeling and the hope that they can go back in a few months. Our uncle is still in Kyiv.
Are you in regular contact?
Yes, we have a big family chat, we write daily. Unfortunately, the situation remains terrible. Things have calmed down near my great-uncle, this part of Kyiv is now somewhat secure, and the Russian troops have been driven out. But he is always ready when war wounded are admitted. And he still sleeps in the bunker.
Ms. Lys, thank you very much for the interview and of course all the best for you and your family!