Tami Korpatsch was born in Hamburg, Germany May 12th, 1995. She is currently ranked 139 in singles and has had a career-high ranking of 104 on May 23, 2022. She has 10 ITF Singles titles and has a career-high singles win over WTA #30 Camila Georgi on April 22, 2022. You can follow her tournament results here and her Instagram here. Continue reading to check out our interview!
Interview Questions
- What was it like growing up playing tennis in your family? Did your parents play or have any other siblings that played?
It’s nice to have my family behind me ever since I started tennis. I started when I was 5 years old and my dad showed me how to play. My brothers were also playing as well.
- What was your junior tennis career like? Did you play any other sports? What was your training schedule like?
During my Junior career, I played in many national events. But I only played 2 or 3 ITF tournaments. I also played football and learned Taek Won Do. I practiced every day after school.
- Did your brothers help push you to become a better player?
My brothers practiced with me on the tennis court and pushed me to get better.
- What makes you a better singles player than a doubles player?
In singles, I can cover and play the whole court well. I love to run a lot and I have my own choice where to play the ball and I’m playing free and for myself. In doubles, I also play for my partner which can cause me to feel stiff sometimes and have a little more pressure.
- What do you think caused you to break through to the top 150?
I was setting small goals. In 2016 I won 3 tournaments in a row and my ranking went up very fast and I could play my 1st Grand Slam, the US Open. I also started to play WTA tournaments since then. When I was around 320 before, I was setting my goal to be top 250. When I made it, my next goal was Top 200. It went well until Top 150 and each goal has been harder now.
- Are you currently working on anything specific to make the next jump in the rankings?
I’m working on my serve, as always. But the main thing I’m focusing on now is to stay healthy. When I get close to the Top 100 I always get sick. And now it’s just important to stay healthy. When I’m healthy, I can concentrate on my tennis and just play my best.
- What was going through your mind when you beat Georgi, in your biggest win so far?
Honestly, I didn’t think I could win against Giorgi because I had a strain in my calve. I got in as a Lucky Loser and when I saw I was going to face Giorgi, I thought, oh no because she plays so fast and I couldn’t run so well at the time. Normally I can count on my legs to get me through long matches. My goal was to just play more aggressively and it worked. I felt thrilled when I won the match point and was also surprised
- What is your favorite surface to play on and why?
My favorite surface is clay. I have been practicing on clay every summer since I started playing tennis as a kid. I like to play with a lot of spin and slide on the claycourt. I feel most comfortable on clay.
- How has covid and injuries affected your career? How does a player mentally deal with that?
I haven’t had many injuries. Just when I have fallen or had an accident. The worst thing in my career is when I got sick in December 2019. I had the flu or maybe Covid and only had 50% lung function. Since then I’m still not 100% fit. Mentally I’m strong, but it’s very sad that I feel like I am not where I used to be. Also four weeks ago I had Covid which affected my lungs. It’s very annoying to wait and wait until I can play all out again on court. I had to withdraw from tournaments and I really wanted to play. But I have to listen to my body and wait until I’m fit again.
- Can you talk about how fatigue and playing through injuries are a part of being a professional tennis player? How do players play through that?
I don’t know how other players play through their injuries. I didn’t have very serious injuries. When I had a strain or bone bruise, I was still playing because I don’t like to take a break from tournaments. Often athletes have to take many painkillers to be able to play better through injury. I have also played sick for 2 tournaments in a row but sometimes it’s better not to play to avoid bigger problems.
- Do you have any goals for the rest of the year?
My goal for the rest of this year is to stay healthy and to get in the Top 100 or Top 70.
- What is one piece of advice you would give to a young Tami Korpatsch?
I would just say never give up! No matter how many matches you lose in a row, never give up and keep fighting. Play free and with less pressure.
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