Few players in recent times have been such reliable Wimbledon campaigners as Germany’s Sabine Lisicki. A runner-up in 2013, semi-finalist in 2011, she has reached the quarter-final or better on six occasions out of seven on the grass here.
That impressive record looked in jeopardy on Centre Court on Thursday, but the 25-year-old No18 seed came back from a set and a break down against Christina McHale to limp home 2-6, 7-5, 6-1.
The problem is that “reliable” is not a word you get to use too often about Lisicki. For most of the first two sets against McHale, the world No64, she was wretched. In the first set alone, she made 14 unforced errors, compared to one from McHale; put simply, any time there was a rally, the American won it.
Lisicki has a formidable serve – the fastest in the women’s game – but it is not that good.
The effervescent German, something of a crowd favourite, looked on her way out of the tournament. Although she is one of the rare female players who can trade blows with Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, she can also lose to practically anyone.
This year started with first-round defeats in five of her first six tournaments, which is unfathomable for a player of her talents. The 23-year-old McHale, who does not make many memorable shots but rarely hits a rash one, seemed only to have to keep the ball in play to make the third round.
“I was a bit nervous at the beginning,” Lisicki admitted afterwards. “This is my favourite court in the world and I really wanted to play well. But experience helped me and the crowd helped me. It’s good to have a tough match like this in the beginning and pull through.”
Last week Toni Nadal – Rafa’s uncle and coach – was asked who he thought was the best of the current crop of talented German players, which also includes Angelique Kerber, the No10 seed, and Andrea Petkovic, ranked 14.
“Sabine Lisicki,” he replied definitively. “She has everything to be a champion. But now I tell you why she is not at the top: she is simply not fit enough, something that everybody can see.”
It was a damning comment; one backed up by Lisicki’s former coach Martina Hingis, who also recommended that she needed to shed a couple of kilos.
But what everyone agrees on – and what she again showed in a ruthless third set against McHale – is that Lisicki, especially on grass, has the potential to be unstoppable.
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