In her own words: Sabine Lisicki
The German tells of her joy at being able to play after a serious ankle injury left her having to learn to walk again, and getting a text from Steffi Graf before her semi-final.
On her dream as a girl
Win Wimbledon and be No.1 in the world.
On her passion for tennis
Three years ago when I couldn't walk (she was on crutches after an ankle injury), I had to learn how to walk again and that made me appreciate every single moment out there a lot more.
On her return from injury
That period made me such a much stronger person and player that – you know, I know anything is possible after learning how to walk again. Coming back to play semis after dropping to 220 in the rankings anything's possible.
On why she has a strong record against French Open winners at Wimbledon
You know, it gave me a little more energy knowing that she won the French Open and I beat the French Open champion three times in a row in my last three appearances, so ... good omen.
On why Sam Stosur plays better on other surfaces compared with grass
I don't know. You should ask her.
On what Serena Williams said to her following their match
I wouldn't say it.
On receiving a text from Steffi Graf before her semi-final
She wished me luck before the match. So, you know, she told me to go for it, and I'm just so happy.
On why she lost the second set to Agnieszka Radwanska
She played well.
On whether or not leaving court for a break helped
Obviously not. I was down 3‑0. But, you know, I just kept playing for every single point. I just needed to change my shirt in between because I sweated a lot.
On being told by the umpire that one of the Centre Court scoreboards was not working
I said, “OK, we still have another one.”
On the 'barely there' handshake with Agnieszka Radwanska
I didn't know why, no.
On making the Wimbledon final
Overwhelmed. I'm just so happy. Couldn't be any better, and couldn't be any better place to play the first Grand Slam final.
On whether or not she is more popular in Germany or England
I don't know. I think Germany's pretty happy right now.
On what it would mean to win the Wimbledon final
That would be a dream coming true. I've been dreaming about that since I'm a little girl. That's why I said it's the best place to play my first Grand Slam final. I couldn't imagine any better place. I just can't wait to play Saturday.
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