Maria follows Goolagong with the mother of all inspirational runs

MORE than half a century after she charmed the world with the first of her two Wimbledon titles, Australian tennis legend Evonne Goolagong is still inspiring women to do things once thought near impossible.

Last year, it was Ash Barty following in the footsteps of Goolagong as she became the second Indigenous Australian to win the Wimbledon women’s singles titles.

And now this year, Tatjana Maria is bidding to become the first mother since Goolagong to win the biggest prize in women’s tennis.

The 34-year-old German has captured the hearts of everyone at Wimbledon by reaching the semi-finals for the first time in her life, beating Jule Niemeier 4-6 6-2 7-5 just a year after giving birth to her second daughter.

“I always believed that I have something inside, that I can do this,” she said.

“I always believed in this but to now be here in this spot ... one year ago I gave birth to my second daughter. If somebody would tell me one year later you are in a semi-final of Wimbledon, that’s crazy.

“I wanted to show everybody that I’m still here and I’m a fighter, and I keep going and I keep dreaming. That’s what I want to show my kids.

“Close to me, nobody doubted that I cannot do it. That’s actually great and that makes me proud, that my family supports me all the time.”

In 1980, Goolagong became the first mother in 66 years to win Wimbledon.

Forty-two years later, she remains the most recent.

Maria is actually in her second comeback as a mother. She made the top 50 in the world rankings after her first daughter Charlotte was born in 2013. She is currently ranked 103, after returning to the tour following the arrival of her second baby girl, Cecilia, in 2021.

“For me, that’s the most important in my life, to be a mum of my two kids. Nothing will change this,” she said.

“I’m here, yeah, I’m in the semi-finals of Wimbledon, it’s crazy, but I’m still a mum.

“For sure I play tennis, I want to do my best, but my kids are the priority.

“If I go out here, I want my kids to be happy, that they are healthy, that everything is okay. That’s the most important thing for me in my life.”