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Former Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki earned qualification to the Charleston Open main draw from qualifying on Sunday (April 2). She expressed delight at having returned to the WTA 500 tournament, one that the German holds close to her heart.
Lisicki, a former World No. 12, made it to the main draw of the Charleston Open after registering a comeback victory (6-7(1), 7-6(1), 6-3) over Katarzyna Kawa at the Althea Gibson Club Court.
A former champion at Charleston, Lisicki got emotional on her return following a knee injury that caused her to miss the tournament for the last three years.
"It means so much to be back in Charleston. You know, after having an injury that I was never meant to play tennis again on a professional level, it's just sort of a dream come true to be back here and then to fight my way through to the main draw, getting so much support like so many years ago," she said during an on-court interview after her match on Sunday.
Lisicki claimed that Charleston holds a "special place" in her heart and observed that the new stadium still preserves its "old" charm.
"Charleston has a very special place in my heart. So, it's just so so nice to be back," said the German. "Special thing is when you do so many renovations and you make it new, it still has the charm of the "old Charleston" tournament and that's the nice part about it and the new stadium looks so nice."
Sabine Lisicki endured a horrifying injury during a doubles match at the 2020 Linz Open after landing awkwardly, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee. She was subsequently ruled out for more than a year, eventually returning to the sport in May 2022.
Reflecting on her injury last year, Lisicki said that she drew inspiration from Andy Murray, who has had to overcome a serious hip problem himself.
"He [Murray] made it back with a [reconstructed] hip and is playing really good tennis again. My injury was also so bad that 99.9 percent of the time you wouldn't return to professional sports, so Andy's story is very inspiring," she stated.
Sabine Lisicki won her first WTA title at the 2009 Charleston Open
In what was a breakthrough year, Sabine Lisicki won her first WTA tour title at the 2009 Charleston Open, beating fifth-seed Caroline Wozniacki in the final. On her way to the title, Lisicki also triumphed over heavyweights Venus Williams and Marion Bartoli.
In her last appearance at the Charleston Open in 2019, Lisicki endured a first-round defeat at the hands of Sofia Kenin (7-5, 6-4).
Lisicki will square off against Caroline Dolehide in the Round of 64 on Monday (April 3).
