Angelique Kerber may have won three Grand Slam titles in the course of her varied, but overall unprecedentedly successful career; she won Olympic silver, was number one in the world rankings, and in her best phases she even awakened old feelings in tennis Germany that had been thought to be buried since the times of Boris Becker and Stefanie Graf – but one thing has not changed to this day at the All England Club: her empty, slightly glassy look when she has lost.
So there she was sitting in media room 2, it was Tuesday evening, she had sneaked off court 12 just over an hour ago after a 5:7, 3:6 defeat against the small, not only aggressive Kazakh Yulia Putintseva – and it was a bit like in the old days, when she was knocked out too early here and there. In Wimbledon, you wouldn’t believe it, she had already been eliminated in the first round three times before (2007, 2008, 2011). “I almost didn’t get into my rhythm at all,” said Kerber in her own succinct way, and: “Of course you’re disappointed, I prepared as well as I could and I felt good,” and: “If it doesn’t work out and you make too many easy mistakes in the important moments, then of course that doesn’t help.”
:“I can take on the adventure”
Former Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber will soon be travelling to Australia with her little daughter – and as a working mother she will not be alone at the Grand Slam. A conversation about “working mums” on the tennis courts.
As she said these words, Kerber looked into the distance, as if she were not sitting in this cramped room, but somewhere by the sea. But only briefly, because at this stage of her journey, some things are very different: she is now a mother, in a relationship, financially out of the woods with 30 million euros in prize money alone (before taxes, of course). Her little daughter in particular gives Kerber a different perspective on her sporting activities, and she summed up this special season for her with a firm voice, characteristic of the moment of failure: “It doesn’t hurt for two or three days anymore, but only for a few hours.” She smiled.
At the beginning of the year, Kerber returned to the tennis tour after her pregnancy and the birth of Liana. Officially, she understandably did not have the highest expectations; on the other hand, she was and is Kerber, a professional athlete who has earned the reputation of being one of the toughest comeback players. She has always been able to turn games around, on a small scale; she won the 2016 Australian Open after fending off a match point in the first round – that says everything about her spirit on the court. And, on a larger scale, she has often been able to overcome setbacks and injuries and emerge stronger from breaks. Now, after six months in tennis land 2024, however, one thing has become clear: Vintage Angie, the one with the celebrations at the end, is still being sought, even if she can sometimes be glimpsed.
For the eighth time this season, Kerber failed to win her opening match at a tournament, which is a fact that she has never had on her CV before. In terms of feeling, and this is probably one of the reasons why she is not too doubtful, this situation seems absolutely familiar to her. “Regardless of how many (defeats) I have had to endure… I mean, when I look back on my career, there have always been extreme ups and downs,” she recalled on Tuesday evening and assured: “I think I’ve become tougher to that.” She certainly is.
And yet it is part of the sporting truth that she is struggling and fighting to get back to the form of her earlier days, both in terms of playing and running. In the duel with Putintseva, there were moments when Kerber showed the vintage Angie, for example when she placed her forehand along the line while running and shouted “come on now!” It was not far off – but then again quite a bit – to succeed. “It’s not possible,” she cried out in despair once. Another time her baseline shot hit the grass in front of the net, in her own half of the court, mind you. She visibly suffered in such moments, because the desire is by no means the problem, as she emphasized: “Well, I still enjoy tennis. And that’s why I came back, it’s still my passion.”
“I think it will be very interesting to play doubles with Laura”
Kerber will therefore stick with it and hope for a turnaround. She brushed aside a question about her future and whether her appearance in Wimbledon could have been her last at the site of her greatest triumph in 2018. “I can’t answer that either, I don’t know,” she replied, “I didn’t come here with that in mind.” She enjoyed her short visit nonetheless, “I still have the best moments here in my head,” she stressed, “and that will stay that way. It doesn’t depend on this match.” She left it open whether she would compete again in 2025, generally she only said: “I’m always happy to come here.” That can mean anything and nothing.
Kerber will soon sit down with Torben Beltz, her indestructible coach, to prepare for the Olympic Games. In Paris she will compete in singles and, as has now been confirmed, in doubles with Laura Siegemund: The 36-year-old from Metzingen, who is in the second round at Wimbledon, revealed this news on Tuesday afternoon. “I think it will be very interesting to play doubles with Laura,” Kerber confirmed in the evening. “We have never played together before. But I am ready, and we will see what happens.” She is clearly excited about what the near future holds for her.