She just wants to play: Jil Teichmann is in round 3 of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the French Open
Jil Teichmann (WTA No. 24) has recently played his way towards the top - in Paris she is now in the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: May 26, 2022, 08:26 am
The great stories in women's tennis, most recently they are about Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur or Emma Raducanu. But behind it: Jil Teichmann more or less quietly and secretly played his way into the extended world elite. The Swiss is now in 24th place - higher than ever in her career.
Teichmann was last in the semi-finals in Madrid and in the last eight in Rome; in Paris she played confidently in the third round with victories over Bernarda Pera and Olga Danilovic - for the first time in a Grand Slam tournament.
The sand: It's perfect for the game of the 24-year-old, who varies a lot, likes to throw in the stop and isn't afraid of a volley. "I like this kind of tennis - that you 'play' tennis, not just hit it," she says . Although Teichmann likes to describe herself as an "all-court player". She won her tournaments (6 at ITF level, 2 on the WTA tour) on sand, but two WTA finals are also on hard court in the statistics, including the 1000 tournament in Cincinnati in 2021.
Jil Teichmann: "Need a good balance in life"
Teichmann was born in Barcelona, the parents are Swiss, she herself went to a Swiss school in Spain, "a Swiss bubble in Spain", as she calls it . The Spanish roots are nonetheless evident in their team, with former professional player Arantxa Parra Santonja as coach, physiotherapist Francisco Perez and fitness coach Toni Martinez. As Parra Santonja is currently pregnant, she is traveling with ex-pro Alberto Marin (she usually trains with him in Barcelona).
Martin studied sports psychology after his career, "our conversations are not just about forehand, backhand and stopball. I need a good balance in life," Teichmann explained to tagblatt.ch . Teichmann has also been working with a "regular" psychologist for a year, and she says she also wants to understand herself better.
Teichmann is well received by the audience because of her playing and her style, and it is well known that people in Paris are very enthusiastic. Next opponent there: Victoria Azarenka, currently number 15 in the world. Teichmann still has a score to settle with her: In the only encounter between the two, at the Australian Open in January 2022, Azarenka won 6: 1, 6: 2.
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