Sabine Lisicki has opened up about her emotional defeat in the 2013 Wimbledon final and revealed why she has “no regrets” as she spoke exclusively to Tennis365.
Lisicki has collected four WTA Tour titles, reached a further five finals, and she achieved a career-high ranking of world No 12 in May 2012.
A 131mph serve struck by Lisicki at the 2014 Bank of the West Classic in Stanford is still recognised as the fastest serve ever recorded in women’s tennis by the WTA Tour.
Lisicki is, though, best known for her performances at Wimbledon, having reached the quarter-finals or better in five consecutive appearances at the grass-court major between 2009 and 2014 (she missed the 2010 edition). She holds an excellent 27-9 (75%) record from her nine Wimbledon main draw campaigns.
Seven of Lisicki’s 13 career victories against top 10 opponents have come at Wimbledon, and she defeated the reigning French Open champion every time she played at the All England Club between 2009 and 2013.
At the 2013 Championships, Lisicki — who was seeded 23rd — stunned world No 1 and defending champion Serena Williams 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 in the fourth round.
The powerful German then downed Kaia Kanepi 6-3, 6-3 in the quarter-finals before prevailing 6-4, 2-6, 9-7 against fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska in a thrilling semi-final.
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In the final, Lisicki could not recapture the stellar form she displayed during her first six matches, and she broke into tears during a one-sided 1-6, 4-6 defeat to No 15 seed Marion Bartoli.
Lisicki has not competed at Wimbledon since losing in qualifying in 2019, but she is back at the All England Club this year to play in the invitation women’s doubles event.
In an interview at Wimbledon during the 2026 Championships, Tennis365 asked Lisicki how proud she is when she reflects on being a Wimbledon finalist 13 years later.
“Yes, I had a tough time to be proud of myself, to be honest, because I wanted to win it so badly,” said the 36-year-old.
“But I also, at the same time, have no regrets, because I know I left everything out there on the court.
“In the semi-final, in the first game of the third set, I was actually cramping, and that match went 9-7 in the third set. So I really had nothing left in the tank.
“I honestly have no regrets. I kind of had the tears in my eyes in the final because I knew my tank is so empty that I just couldn’t do more, and that’s just the sad part. But no regrets at all.”
On what it means to be back at Wimbledon, she added: “I love it, I absolutely love it. It’s the most amazing Grand Slam. The grounds are just fantastic. So many great memories every time I come here.
“It’s the first time now that I will go on court in many years here at Wimbledon, so I’m really looking forward to doing so, and having fun out there, as well.”
Lisicki, who turned pro in 2006, has dealt with a host of injuries throughout her career, and her most recent match was in December 2023.
The German gave birth to her first child, Bella, in September 2024, and she revealed last year that she was planning to return to the tour.
The post Exclusive: Sabine Lisicki opens up about her emotional 2013 Wimbledon final loss appeared first on Tennis365.
Source: www.tennis365.com
