“I’m flying to Australia on January 15th and then go into the mandatory quarantine for two weeks,” reports Kerber: “We’re allowed out five hours a day with designated training partners.” She will play her first official match since the end of September at the preparatory tournament for the Australian Open (February 8), which will also begin in Melbourne on January 31.
Until then, Kerber still has time to work on her form and fitness, but by the turn of the year she is satisfied with her level of performance. “I feel good, I am healthy, have fun and I believe that the preparation in Melbourne will bring me a lot again,” she says. “It definitely looks better than at the same time last year.”
In 2020 she started the season badly, because of the corona crisis Kerber never got going. “It’s difficult for me to take stock,” she says: “But at least I’ve learned a lot in these crazy times.” Among other things, how nice it is to be at home longer. And “that there are more important things than sport”. Kerber says: “This year in particular has shown me that life goes on, even when I’m not on the pitch.”
Unlike her long-time Fed Cup colleague Julia Görges (32), she will stay on the tennis tour as a player. She remains true to her motto, says Kerber, “when the time comes, I’ll feel it. If my heart says it’s time to go now, I’ll stop.”
The hardest moment of your career? That’s what Kerber says
