Your approach is “not with the really big expectations and the thought that it’s still missing in my Grand Slam collection“. But secretly she started again with exactly this desire to complete the collection – and failed.
Optimistic look ahead
“I’m sad that it’s already over and would have wished for one or two more laps. But I got everything out of me in the past few days“Kerber asserted after her early exit and emphasized how much she was looking forward to the next Grand Slam tournament in London (June 27 to July 10). “I’m glad it’s on grass now. The tingling is still there, especially now with a view to Wimbledon“Kerber said.
The hopes that Kerber will continue their most successful times have not yet disappeared. Since her Wimbledon victory in 2018, she has only won a smaller tournament in Bad Homburg last year, in addition to the aforementioned victory in Strasbourg.
At the peak of her career, she won the titles in 2016 Australia and US Open and climbing to number one in the women’s world rankings.
A new generation dominates women’s tennis
For a total of 34 weeks, Kerber was the best tennis player in the world (in tabular form). She currently has to be satisfied with 17th place, although she seems to be even further away from a great success than these 16 world rankings.
At 34, she’s the oldest player in the top 45, but she recently emphasized “still have a great passion for the sport“. Kerber continues: “I feel good, I’m healthy and I’ve always said I’ll play as long as I feel like this. I know I can still keep up.”
Was that your last French Open?
Not only in Paris did she owe the proof. Maybe her sentences sounded a little more reserved after the defeat on Friday. “There are still two Grand Slam tournaments this year. We’ll see what comes after that. I don’t look that far ahead anymore“Said Kerber when asked if she would take part in the French Open again next year.
Especially since the examples of tennis players who were still able to achieve great success at an advanced age are few and far between, at least in the recent past. While the experienced Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal (both 35) are usually among the title favorites for men, the younger generation has long had the upper hand for women.