Into third round at Roland Garros, Korpatsch reflects on humble beginnings

In her 12th Grand Slam main draw, Tamara Korpatsch is into the third round of a major for the first time.

After losing in the second round of majors on four previous occasions, the 31-year-old German finally broke through with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 upset of 32nd seed Wang Xinyu at Roland Garros on Wednesday.

In her post-match press conference, Korpatsch explained how much this moment means to her, especially considering the long and challenging journey she navigated to get to this point.

"I had a very long, hard way to get here," the World No. 95 told reporters. "Me and my family, we didn't have it easy. We slept in the car when we started to play ITF tournaments, and I couldn't play a lot of tournaments. I could play only in Germany, because we didn't have that much money."

Korpatsch then started to play in France, she said, which was in close proximity to her home. She drove to the tournaments with her family, in a "small car," and they continued sleeping in the car out of necessity. 

As the wins piled up, the prize money followed, and the family was able to afford a caravan. It felt like luxury after the endless miles spent in the tight confines of the car.

"We did everything alone, without any help," she added. "...And I had a lot of pressure, because I felt like I have to win, because my parents [are] giving everything. But at least I did it, and I'm a really big fighter. Maybe that's the reason why I'm still fighting today like that.

"It means a lot to me that I'm in the third round now. Yeah, never before. And also, the breakthrough, the Top 100 was already really a big step."

Korpatsch came into the season ranked 123rd, but was boosted significantly by a run to the final in Ostrava in February. She broke into the Top 100 last month, and continued her momentum by reaching the final at the WTA 125 Catalonia Open Solgironès in Spain.

Her career-high ranking is No. 71, which she achieved in October 2023 after winning her lone WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz title in Cluj-Napoca.

"Sometimes we forget how really special it is," Korpatsch said. "And I thought about it a few weeks ago. I'm something special, and I'm really doing good now. And if I'm thinking about that, that I'm here, like 10 years ago I would never believe it, because it was just a dream."

Korpatsch will play seventh-seeded Elina Svitolina in the third round on Friday. This will be their first meeting.