Watson battered and bruised by ‘servebot’ Niemeier’s power
Jule Niemeier (Ger) bt Heather Watson (GB) 6-2, 6-4
Following Roger Federer and a host of tennis legends on to Centre Court, Britain’s last surviving woman Heather Watson proved something of an anticlimax as she lost in straight sets to Germany’s Jule Niemeier.
Scheduled as the day’s opening match, Watson and Niemeier did not walk out until 2.25pm because of a special celebration to mark the hundredth anniversary of this famous arena.
We saw some sepia-tinted videos, listened to chanteuse Freya Ridings, and cheered a stellar line-up of former champions – all topped off by a warbling Summer Holiday from Sir Cliff Richard. Only then was it time for some actual tennis.
To her credit, Watson declined to use any of this hoopla as an excuse afterwards.
Asked whether she had been at all inhibited by the galaxy of stars – who included Rod Laver, Stefan Edberg and Billie Jean King – watching from the Royal Box, she replied: “I didn’t look up. I didn’t see who was watching, so I don’t know who exactly was there.”
As a newcomer to the Wimbledon stage, Niemeier lacked the pedigree of these celebrated spectators. She is 22, a player who had never even contested a grand-slam match until six weeks ago. But her ferocious 116mph serve gave her the initiative in many rallies, and she kept her head even when Watson threatened a comeback by breaking at the start of the second set.
“I felt like I was playing against a servebot,” Watson said, using a term more often applied to towering male players such as John Isner or Kevin Anderson. “I was just trying to make as many returns as possible, holding on to my serve. It felt like more men’s tennis today than women’s.
“The points were just so quick. During my last match [against Kaja Juvan], there were so many epic points. Whereas I didn’t feel like the rallies were long today at all. When I did get a ball in the middle of the court, it was so rare for that to happen that I had no rhythm.”
Niemeier seemed remarkably unflustered by the whole experience, despite the riches on offer. She is now guaranteed prize money of at least £310,000, which comfortably outstrips her previous career earnings of about £283,000.
“I just want to say sorry that I had to kick out a British player today,” Niemeier told on-court interviewer Rishi Persad.
“I didn’t want to watch the show before the match because I was nervous. But as soon as I stepped on to the court I felt pretty comfortable.”
An unfussy player, you could half imagine Niemeier holding a tankard at the Munich Oktoberfest. One of her key advisers is her doubles partner Andrea Petkovic – a 34-year-old who wrote a fine essay before the tournament lamenting the fact that she had never had the chance to play on Centre Court. One wonders whether Petkovic managed a rueful smile when her protege ticked off this goal at her first attempt. While Niemeier moves on to face compatriot Tatjana Maria in a quarter-final that no one saw coming, Watson still has an interest in this tournament via her doubles partnership with Harriet Dart. She is feeling somewhat banged up, however, after a series of misadventures on this notoriously slippery surface. “I’ve had so many falls,” she told reporters at her post-match press conference, standing up and stepping out from behind the desk to point at her legs. “I’ve got bruises everywhere. One of the slips I had against Juvan was that knee. “But for this one,” – she indicated a large contusion on the inside of her right calf – “I landed on my racket when I dove for the volley against Juvan at 6-5. Then I had two bruises on the inside of my knees where I slipped against [Qiang] Wang [in the second round]. Yeah, my knees are pretty unstable right now.” Watson and Niemeier may one day be the answer to a tricky quiz question: who played the first match on Centre Court on an official middle Sunday (as opposed to the four previous emergency Sundays that were forced by inclement weather)?
But it will be Niemeier who remembers this unusual occasion with greater fondness.