At 37, German tennis star Tatjana Maria is making huge waves in the tennis circuit. Earlier today, she defeated the reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys to enter the final of the Queen’s Club Tennis Championships. She has proved to be a giant-killer in the tournament and also defeated Elena Rybakina earlierier on the quarterfinal. While she is a star on the court, Maria is also proving to be the same off it. Her daughters are proving to be a lucky charm for her as they are present to witness their mother play. But do you know that Maria’s eldest daughter has a tennis connection?

The German star has two daughters, Charlotte, who is 11 years old, and Cecilia, who is just 4. While her daughters often travel with her, they have developed a keen interest in tennis. Especially her eldest daughter, Charlotte, who even plays the sport. Last year, she made her tournament debut by playing in the under-12 event in Greece. Maria followed the live scores of her daughter’s tournament from Madrid, where she herself was playing in the Madrid Open.

Talking about Charlotte’s interest in the sport, Maria said, “She’s super excited to play. She plays under-12 over there, with all the best little kids from around the world. It’s super special and she really enjoys it. I’m pretty nervous already, but she’s so excited. She has a two-handed backhand. She loves volleys and drop shots, and of course, she can play slice. It would be sad if she couldn’t!”

However, that’s not all. During an interview once, Maria also revealed that Charlotte is her hitting partner. When the mother-daughter duo travels to the tournaments together, Maria often practices with her. Additionally, Charlotte also practiced with World Number 1, Aryna Sabalenka, once, which shows her deep-rooted interest in tennis.

Meanwhile, it has been a dream-come-true event for Maria at the Queen’s Club. With her daughters by her side, Maria is feeling extra motivated ahead of the summit clash.

Tatjana Maria on age-defying feat at Queen’s Club

With women’s tennis returning at Queen’s Club after a long time, it couldn’t have been a more perfect moment for Maria to make it to the very end of the tournament. Additionally, she has her daughters cheering for her, which made it extra special. After defeating Madison Keys in straight sets earlier today, Maria made her feelings felt on reaching the final.

She said, “To be honest, I cannot believe it. It’s a dream come true. We are travelling all the time together. They are at all the tournaments with us from the beginning. It’s super-special to have them around, and to live these moments with them, it’s something amazing.”

Additionally, Maria overcame poor form from not winning a match between late March and early June to reaching the final at the Queen’s Club. “You always have to keep going. You can never stop, no matter how it goes. I’ve had my ups and downs but I love to play tennis, I love this sport, and we live for these special moments,” she said.

Maria will face American star Amanda Anisimova in the summit clash tomorrow. It’ll be interesting to see if she can win the prestigious title by defeating Anisimova tomorrow.