Before her eagerly awaited comeback after more than a year and a half of baby break, Angelique Kerber treated herself to a short boat tour with a picturesque view. With a view of the famous opera house and the harbor bridge, Kerber and Alexander Zverev cruised in the bays of Sydney, the sun shining on their faces. But the two German tennis stars didn’t travel to Australia for sightseeing; the important start of the season is here. For Kerber, the United Cup is a complete cold start.
18 months after her last match to date, the former world number one is back on the tennis stage; she describes her return as “probably the biggest challenge of my career”. But the excitement of starting clearly outweighs the doubts. “Just being on the pitch again, playing matches and feeling the energy of the audience – that motivates me,” said the 35-year-old: “I love the sport, that’s why I do it all.”
Down under without a nanny
Kerber arrived in Sydney on Wednesday with her ten-month-old daughter Liana; she was not accompanied by a nanny. “The family knows the little one and has experienced the rhythm and processes,” explained Kerber. “Then I know that when I go onto the pitch everything is under control and Liana is in good hands. That’s the most important thing for me.”
Kerber deliberately chose the United Cup, in which she will compete for Germany with Zverev, among others, as a comeback tournament from Saturday. “Competing as a team for Germany, together with Sascha Zverev, is of course a completely different feeling than starting at a regular tournament,” said the three-time Grand Slam tournament winner, who is hoping for a “very fun time.” “It’s always a great honor for both of us to play for Germany.”
A mixed doubles is also possible with Zverev. The Olympic champion is looking forward to seeing Kerber again and predicts: “When she is fit, she is still one of the best in the world.” He spoke to Kerber in preparation, “she is already training very, very hard,” he revealed World number seven: “It’s going to be good!”
Preparing for Australian Open
Such bold sentences do not come from Kerber’s lips. “I’m not putting any pressure on myself, I’m just letting it happen to me,” said the Kiel native and, with a view to the first big highlight of the season starting January 14th in Melbourne, added: “Every match before the Australian Open will help me get into it and my To find rhythm.” For her comeback, Kerber brought her long-time companion Torben Beltz back into the team as a coach.
She will make her first appearance on Saturday in a duel against the Italian Jasmine Paolini. On New Year’s Day, an even stronger opponent awaits in the Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia. Kerber doesn’t want to make predictions about how well she can keep up after the long break. “I am prepared and fit enough to give myself the best chance to get back to the level at which I left off,” she said and consciously qualified: “But I also have to give myself time.” After the longest If she takes a break in her career, she “can’t expect to play my best tennis straight away in Australia”.
In Sydney, the German selection is fighting in Group D against Italy and France for a place in the quarter-finals. There will be a women’s match, a men’s match and a mixed doubles match. Other top stars such as Grand Slam record winner Novak Djokovic from Serbia and Polish world number one Iga Swiatek are also taking part in the event in Sydney and Perth.
“The whole of tennis Germany can look forward to a tennis highlight,” said German women’s boss Barbara Rittner. But you shouldn’t set your expectations of Kerber too high, she warned.
New topics of conversation off the pitch
The successful comeback of the Danish Caroline Wozniacki, with whom Kerber, like other mothers on the tour, is now exchanging ideas even more, gives hope. “Now the new topic during training during the breaks will be where our children are currently playing or what they are doing again,” said Kerber. She has already discovered that it only works with flexibility.
Despite the travel strain for her child and herself, Kerber is happy to be able to make her comeback in Australia. Since her first Grand Slam tournament victory in 2016, it has been “one of my favorite countries,” she said: “There are many beautiful memories that give me strength.” With her little daughter Liana at her side, there will certainly be many new ones.
2023-12-28 11:58:00
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