Jule Niemeier: "A main draw wildcard for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is something very special"
Jule Niemeier (WTA No. 109) received a wildcard for the main draw for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart (from April 18), also as a reward for her strong last year. We spoke to Niemeier about it - and also about her new coach Christopher Kas.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Apr 14, 2022, 02:59 pm
Jule Niemeier has had an impressive 12 months, with a win at the ITF tournament in Prague last spring and semi-finals at the WTA tournaments in Strasbourg and Hamburg. The 22-year-old from the Porsche Talent Team has climbed more than 150 places in the world rankings since the beginning of last year and is currently in 109th place. We caught Niemeier just before the flight from Frankfurt to Kazakhstan, she is here for the German Selection at the Billie Jean King Cup at the start. From April 18th she will be at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
Ms. Niemeier, a few days ago it was announced that you are working with Christopher Kas as your new coach. How did that happen?
I train in Regensburg at the BeTennisBase, which is run by Michael Geserer and Matthias Mischka. Every player has her own coach here. Michael and Matthias hired Kasi for me, we've been training together for a week. It's kind of running through the academy, but Kasi is my own trainer and will also look after me at tournaments.
How did the first days go? Kasi is a very positive guy.
Yes, we had very good training days and got along well on a personal level right from the start. We didn't know each other personally before. But it fits perfectly, I'm very happy that we're tackling it together.
Kasi has already trained a number of German ladies, such as Sabine Lisicki and Mona Barthel. Is it an advantage to have someone who has coached at WTA level?
I think it makes things a lot easier. Also because Kasi knows about emotions - it makes a difference whether you train a WTA player or an ATP player. He also has a lot of experience because he was a professional himself and can relate to many situations on the pitch. It is extremely important to be able to exchange ideas, to talk about feelings in certain phases. We started straight on clay, working on how best to act here. With a lot of spin on the forehand, offensive, with the way to the net. It's not so much about teaching me a different way of playing as it is about improving my playing and getting the most out of it.
You've had a great 12 months, with the win in Prague, the semi-finals in Strasbourg and Hamburg . Did that come as a surprise? You were injured for a long time, then you dared to make the move to Michael Geserer's Academy and since then you've been working together with Florian Zitzelsberger as a physiotherapist.
It was unexpected that success came so quickly. Of course I knew that I had potential, that I could play tennis. Due to my many injuries, however, I lacked self-confidence. Also the rhythm when it comes to the matches. I also lacked confidence in my body. Being able to play pain free for months without having to worry about my body helped a lot. It's a lot more fun, you can focus on what's important, improve on the pitch and in the gym. The worries 'Oh, now my shoulder hurts, can I play the next tournament, is this training session too much...?' - all of that has disappeared, and that was decisive. I've now seen what can happen.
They are currently on the verge of the top 100. How does a tournament selection work: when do you play qualifiers for WTA tournaments, when do ITF events?
We don't look at the ranking at all, it has little influence on tournament planning. We try to play the biggest tournaments possible. I've now received the wildcard for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart - which is unbelievable for me! Otherwise we'll see: I'd like to play Madrid, but the qualifying field is smaller than that of Indian Wells or Miami, so I'll have to wait and see how the list of participants develops. But it's not the end of the world to play an ITF tournament again.
You are participating in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix for the first time. Have you ever been there?
Only once so far, when we had a photo shoot for the Porsche Talent Team a few years ago. That was right after my final exam, I had to leave immediately, the next day was already due. I'm really looking forward to the tournament, I've only heard positive things so far. It's supposed to be incredibly well organized. And this year there are nine top ten players! Being able to participate here is awesome.
How did you find out about the wild card?
Anke Huber contacted me and told me. I didn't really expect it, a main draw wildcard for this tournament is something very special. I was all the happier.
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix was canceled in 2020, in 2021 it took place without spectators on site. Now there are fans on site again, and as is well known, they create a great atmosphere in Stuttgart. Do you like that?
Definitely! I would also have loved to play the Billie Jean King Cup against Kazakhstan in Germany, especially in Stuttgart with the great atmosphere. I hope that this will work in the future.
Thank you for the interview and good luck in the coming weeks!