tennis
Kerber before Stuttgart: “I wasn’t able to train properly”
Tennis player Angelique Kerber answered questions before her appearance in Stuttgart. photo
© Marijan Murat/dpa
Kerber is competing in Germany for the first time since her maternity leave. In Stuttgart she will meet Raducanu at the start. There is a question mark behind her fitness. She missed her daughter recently.
Former Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber turned away to cough slightly. Before her first appearance at a tennis tournament in Germany in around two years, the 36-year-old was sicker than she had been for a long time. Anything but ideal to be able to cause a sensation at the top-class clay court tournament in Stuttgart.
The former world number one barely has any time left to get rid of the after-effects of her cold. On Wednesday the young mother has to play her first round game against former British US Open winner Emma Raducanu.
“I’m feeling better every day and I’m trying to get fit again as quickly as possible,” reported the 36-year-old on Tuesday. For the first time she is now “no longer alone” at a tournament in Germany. Her daughter Liana, born in February 2023, accompanies her. Unlike last weekend in Brazil, when Kerber traveled alone, she will spend her free time in Stuttgart with her daughter.
Daughter as a source of strength
“I think it was worse for me than for her, but it was okay,” said the Kiel native looking back on the feeling of leaving the little one at home and not taking her to São Paulo. “I knew she was in good hands. I think at some point you have to take this step,” she explained: “But I’m glad that I have her by my side again. Sure, after a few hours I already have her missing.”
Because of her infection, Kerber traveled to Brazil later than planned. She was unable to actively help on the pitch when the German women’s team won 3-1 in the Billie Jean King Cup against the hosts. “I have to say, I don’t know when was the last time I was so badly injured,” admitted the three-time Grand Slam tournament winner. The long flight didn’t make it any better; she wasn’t able to train properly in Brazil. Luckily, your little one is healthy. “I was the only one who caught the virus. Where, how, when, I don’t know.”
Sand comeback after a two-year break
Her upcoming opponent Raducanu scored two points for Great Britain against France in the nations competition last weekend. The Briton was the first qualifier to triumph in New York in 2021, but then had a lot of bad luck with injuries. Last year, the 21-year-old underwent surgery on both wrists and an ankle and missed a large portion of the season. Their number of coaches in recent years also includes the recurring current Kerber coach Torben Beltz.
“It will be an interesting match,” commented Kerber. “My last tournament on clay was two years ago. I’m very excited to see how it all goes.” Her favorite topping is not the red ash.
At the beginning of January, Kerber returned to the tour after her maternity break in Australia. With mixed success. The left-hander reached the round of 16 in Indian Wells. She was eliminated in the first round in Miami, Linz and the Australian Open.
Patience is required
The 2018 Wimbledon champion reported that nothing really surprised her when she returned. “I knew what to expect, that everything was a little more strenuous, that you had to be spontaneous,” she said. She knows that she needs patience to get back to her performance level: “I’m still in the phase of feeling my way. It’s as I expected.”
Life has changed beautifully as a mother, she tries to enjoy everything. “You’re on the pitch and you want to win, you’re already in your own world,” she said. As soon as the match is over and she leaves the facility, she is “completely mom.” The daughter’s smile makes it easier to deal with defeats on the pitch.