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August 30, 2023,
If they are not careful, they could be forgotten.
Not by family and friends. Fans too. Theirs.
But the general public has a very short memory.
When Germany’s Laura Siegemund walked out of the tunnel to face the American sensation Coco Gauff in the first round of the US Open, under the bright lights of Ashe stadium, the question many had was a simple one.
Who is Laura Siegemund?
You can’t be forgotten, if you’ve rarely been remembered.
Our circle here in Northern California has been watching the US Open for over thirty years and honestly and respectfully, we’ve never heard of her. What about you? Have you heard of her?
It would be one thing if she was 18 and just starting out.
But at 35 years old?
According to the official WTA website, she is currently ranked at 121 in the world.
Time for a closer look.
Laura Siegemund is a two-time Grand Slam champion.
Don’t get too excited. It may not be what you think, but it is valid.
She has won the 2020 US Open in women’s doubles with Vera Zvonareva, as well as the 2016 US Open in mixed doubles alongside Mate Pavić.
That is actually very impressive. Not so sure how memorable though.
Ms. Siegemund reached her career-high doubles ranking of world No. 22 in March 2023, and has won ten doubles titles on the WTA Tour, including the 2022 Miami Open.
So, it appears she has primarily achieved her greatest success in doubles.
How important are the doubles box scores to you? Just asking? Us?
We never watch doubles. Men, women and children. Never.
Ply your trade at that, and maybe not deservedly so, you could be forgotten or worse, never remembered.
In singles, Laura’s career-high ranking is world No. 27, achieved in August of 2016, and she has won two WTA titles, at the 2016 Swedish Open and 2017 Stuttgart Open.
It appears she reached her peak almost 7 years ago.
Laura’s best Grand Slam result in singles was a quarterfinal appearance at the 2020 French Open. She also reached the same stage at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and has represented Germany in the Billie Jean King Cup since 2017.
Seven years is a long time in women’s tennis.
Even two years.
Remember Emma Raducanu?
We absolutely remember her.
What she did.
How she did it.
Emma Raducanu MBE is a British professional tennis player.
She reached a career-high ranking of No. 10 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) on July 11, 2022, and is a former British No. 1.
Laura and Emma have a lot in common. At the US Open.
Both came through as qualifiers to make it to the big stage. Emma did it in 2021 and Laura, here, in 2023.
There is a huge difference.
One that will get you remembered.
Emma came through and won it all, defeating Canada’s Leylah Fernandez in the finals.
By doing so, Emma is the first British woman to win a Grand Slam singles title since Virginia Wade at the 1977 Wimbledon Championships.
And yet, when was the last time you’ve seen her in a match.
What is her current ranking?
Number 186.
Don’t feel too bad for her. Emma is making a ton of money away from the tennis courts.
The informative source wwos.nine.com.au reports, “Emma Raducanu has been a marketing dream since breaking through with a US Open title in 2021. The 20-year-old has made over $23 million this year from deals with the likes of Vodafone, Dior and British Airways.”
A twenty year old with twenty three.
Million.
Those are the huge numbers of an over achiever. By the way, online sources state that both of Emma’s parents work in the finance sector.
Imagine that.
The 2021 US Open champion has suffered from wrist and ankle injuries but she is making so much money in endorsements it probably helps sooth the pain. Apparently there is more where that came from. Emma had to undergo three minor surgeries on her hands and ankles according to planetsport.com.
Is any surgery minor?
So, in the meantime, she has taken up painting.
Good for her. Truly. When you have that much money and time on your hands, shame on you if you don’t enjoy yourself.
We bring up Emma because of the qualifier comparison. But other than that, no two players appear to have traveled two very different paths.
As posted by mediareferee.com, “Laura Siegemund has an estimated net worth of US$ 5 million as of 2023. She has earned a total prize money of US$ 4,531,311 in her professional career till date.”
Not bad by every day person’s standards. Few of us have made our 5 million by 35, but why is it that we can’t help but feel Laura has underachieved. She checks virtually all of the super stardom boxes.
She is incredibly beautiful.
Laura was born to parents Harro (an engineer) and Brigitta Siegemund, and has two siblings.
She was introduced to tennis by her family at age three.
Our German star has lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from age four to seven and in Jakarta, Indonesia from nine to ten. Besides German, she is fluent in English and French, and in 2016, she completed her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Hagen.
Very impressive.
As a junior, in 2000, Laura won the Junior Orange Bowl in the “12 and under” age category as the first German since Steffi Graf in 1981. We sense the expectations for her in Germany were very high.
Based upon what we saw in the first set against Coco, Laura has a very effective and varied game.
Yet, she is ranked number 121 in the world and slowly spiraling downward.
Go figure. We sure can’t.
In 2017 she suffered a major knee injury. That was a factor. She also spent a lot of time competing on the ITF circuit.
In July of 2023, she reached her first WTA Tour singles final in over six years at the Poland Open, but lost to world No. 1 Iga Świątek.
No shame there.
More important, it shows what Laura is capable of. She has been at this since 2002. That is longer than how old Coco is, at 19.
Sorry, but we are puzzled as to why she hasn’t done more. Earned more in endorsements. Won more singles titles. Made better singles showings at the Grand Slams.
Doesn’t that puzzle you too?
Was it a decision to spend so much time pursuing doubles at the expense of her singles? Only Laura and her camp know for sure.
What we do know, based upon her gritty performance against Coco on opening night, at the 2023 US Open, on Arthur Ashe stadium, it terms of remembrance?
Gamesmanship aside, no one who loves women’s tennis will ever forget Laura Siegemund now.
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OPENING PHOTO Shutterstock-Jimmie48-Photography-photo-credit-Editorial-use Femcompetitor.com, grapplingstars.com, fciwomenswrestling.com, fcielitecompetitor.com, fciwomenswrestling2.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Siegemund
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Raducanu
https://www.mediareferee.com/laura-siegemund-net-worth/
https://www.fciwomenswrestling2.com
