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.
“No, it wasn’t a setback at all,” said Kerber. “I know I have to be patient to find my routine on the court again. At times it was good, but I still need time,” said the former world number one after her comeback on the big Grand Slam stage.
Returning after 18 months of baby break
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.
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.
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 strokes and had major problems, especially with her own serve. After 34 minutes, Collins took the first set.
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.
Attack at the Masters 1000 tournaments
“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,” 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.”
