Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – There’s no way psychology graduate Laura Siegemund will fold under pressure at the Olympics after she wrote a thesis on choking in top level sport.
The 28-year-old German is enjoying a second spell on the tour after retiring in 2012 to return to college.
“My story is very different from the other players. I started to study psychology, it was just something I was interested in,” she said Tuesday after reaching the Olympic Games quarter-finals.
“But studying, taking some time off, doing coaching lessons were giving me new perspectives on the professional side of tennis, whereas before I’ve always had the player perspective.”
Siegemund has been a revelation since her return to playing full-time and now stands at 32 in the world.
She made the Olympics last-eight by defeating Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens 6-4, 6-3.
Siegemund will face Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig, the conqueror of French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, for a spot in the semi-finals.
“I’m just out here enjoying myself much more than in the life before, when I played for a long time and wasn’t really successful,” said the German who spent most of her first spell in tennis scraping living on the second-tier tours.
“I really never thought I would be back on the tour, I kind of stopped in my heart,” she added.
“Still played a little bit, but not really trying to achieve anything anymore. So then I practised just for myself, played for myself, instead of playing for other people.
“Suddenly I started to play really well, I tried new things in fitness, nutrition, it was a combination of all that.”
Siegemund won her first career WTA title at Bastad last month.
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