A year and a half of time off has not left Angelique Kerber unscathed: elimination from the Australian Open comes as no surprise to the 35-year-old.
When Angelique Kerber entered the press room an hour after her first-round exit at the Australian Open, the Rolling Stones classic “Angie” was playing from the small loudspeaker in the ceiling. The organizers probably wanted to build Kerber up a bit, but that was only necessary to a limited extent. Of course, the 35-year-old, who celebrated her first of three Grand Slam titles in Melbourne in 2016, was disappointed after the 2:6, 6:3, 1:6 against the American Danielle Collins. But Kerber didn’t want to worry too much.
“I know I have to be patient”
“No, it wasn’t a setback at all”said Kerber on Tuesday. “I know I have to be patient to find my routine again on the pitch. It was good at times, but I still need time”said the former world number one after her comeback on the big Grand Slam stage.
Kerber only returned to the tennis tour at the United Cup around the turn of the year after an 18-month baby break. Previously, she had not played a match since Wimbledon 2022 and gave birth to her daughter Liana in February 2023. Their expectations were correspondingly low before their first appearances.
Matthias Cammann, Sportschau, January 16, 2024 9:30 a.m
Learning after the cold start
And the three-set defeat against Collins, at least in the final of the first Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season in 2022, clearly showed that Kerber still has a way to go if she really wants to keep up with the best in the industry again over the course of the year.
“I want to learn from this tournament. It was a cold start after 18 months, I knew that beforehand. It is still a big challenge and I accept it.”said Kerber.
National coach Barbara Rittner sees a slump in the third set
National coach Barbara Rittner spoke of one “mental and physical breakdown” in the third sentence: “Angie was then crushed.” Above all, the former world number one was troubled by the weak rate on her second serve, which was defeated by her opponents in the end “was played against the wall”as Rittner said, who, as an observer on site, also noticed physical deficits: “She can’t be back to where she used to be in terms of her fitness level.”
Against Collins she quickly made up for a 0-2 deficit in the first set, but after that she made too many simple mistakes. Kerber lacked the power in her shots. After 34 minutes, Collins, who was much more powerful, took the first set.
All fighting spirit was in vain: Angelique Kerber loses in Melbourne
After the Australian Open, Masters tournaments await in the USA
In the second round, Kerber improved and showed her famous fighting spirit. The former number one now acted more courageously and managed to equalize the set. However, Kerber was unable to carry the momentum into the deciding set. Collins managed a quick break, Kerber now hung her head and was eliminated two days before her 36th birthday.
“Of course I would have liked to have played one or two more rounds here. But on the other hand, I feel that I’m there and it’s my turn“, said Kerber: “I would have liked the draw to be a little easier, but I know that nothing is easy for me. It’s never been that way. And so now I’ll take the positives and try to keep working and be patient.”
Kerber wants to attack again at the Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami in the spring. It is not yet clear whether she will also play in Doha or Dubai before that. First of all, Kerber would like to reflect on the experiences of her first long trip with her child and family. Your first conclusion from the Kerber 2.0 phase was positive despite the elimination: “Everything worked well. It was just as I imagined.”