March 23, 2016

Last week, Sabine Lisicki announced the end of her relationship with entertainer and comedian Oliver Pocher, which lasted two and a half years. In the current issue of the German boulevard magazine “Gala”, she also blames the break-up for her bad tennis results in recent times. The world number 37 only won four matches this season.

“I am relieved that it’s over,” she says. “It is difficult to handle a topic, which is distributed in all the media and you do not want to deal with it anymore.”

Sabine Lisicki

In December 2015, first rumours were circulated that Pocher would have a fling with Sarah Joelle, a competitor in the German version of the American Idol. “That caught me on the hop!”

Yet, Lisicki stood by her boy-friend. “He denied everything and promised that he has never been unfaithful. At this time, I trusted him.”

However, the news went on. “Every day, something new came to light. Eventually I was fed up. I realized that I haven’t had any feelings for him anymore.” In March she ended the relationship. “When I had the evidence, I have had enough.” 

The former world number 12 dropped in rankings to 37th position and only reached one quarterfinal this season in Kuala Lumpur. “Stress costs a lot of energy. In professional tennis, you need to give 100 per cent at any time. It tried to do my best, but some day I haven’t been able to do so anymore.”