Angelique Kerber sees herself in good shape for the start of the grass classic in Wimbledon even after the quarter-finals at her home tournament.
“I had three good matches in Bad Homburg. In the end, it doesn’t matter how many matches you’ve played before, Grand Slams have their own rules,” said the 34-year-old 2018 Wimbledon winner in London. The day before, she took a day off “to regenerate a bit, to start here really fit.”
In Bad Homburg, where she is also tournament director, Kerber was surprisingly eliminated in the quarter-finals against Alizé Cornet from France. In the first round of Wimbledon, Kiel will meet Kristina Mladenovic. She plays the third game of the day against the French on Monday after 2:00 p.m. (CEST) in the second largest stadium. “I’m happy that things started relatively quickly on Monday,” said the three-time Grand Slam tournament winner. “It feels good to be back at Wimbledon.”
Her opponent Mladenovic recently won her sixth Grand Slam title in doubles at the French Open, but is only 118th in the world rankings in singles. “She knows how to play on the big pitches,” said Kerber. “In the end it doesn’t matter who you play against. The first rounds aren’t that easy for me anyway, so I try to play my tennis from the start.”