Kerber looking for Miami boost
Germany’s Angelique Kerber headed into the Miami Open in the unusual position of having regained the world No 1 ranking despite a disappointing start to the season.
But the 29-year-old says her newly gained status will not add any extra pressure as she seeks to secure her first tournament win of 2017.
“I am No 1 again but this is not what is really important for me. What is important is that I go out and play good matches, that is why I am here,” Kerber told reporters on Tuesday.
“I think I have got used already to pressure. This is not a problem at all. Of course it is a new challenge, a completely new year for me, so I think its not so easy but in the end, it is just the beginning of the year, I am feeling good and practising good and I still think I can have a good year,” she said.
Kerber lost top spot to Serena Williams after the American won the Australian Open in January, but the 23-time Grand Slam winner’s knee injury forced her out of Indian Wells earlier this month and the Miami tournament.
But the Poland-based Kerber’s form has hardly been that of the world’s best. In California she went out in the round of 16 to Russia’s eventual winner Elena Vesnina and her only deep run in a tournament this year was in Dubai in February, where she lost to Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in the semifinal.
Kerber has also failed to beat a top-20 ranked player this year, raising questions about her form after a stellar 2016 in which she won the Australian Open and the US Open and was runner-up at Wimbledon.
Former world No 1 and 18-time grand slam winner Chris Evert believes Kerber is not taking enough risks with her play.
“I think it’s all in her head, and it is a big adjustment to have that No 1 bulls-eye on your back and to continue to play with the fearlessness that it took for her to get there,” said Evert, now an ESPN television analyst.
“She went out of the box in big matches that she won last year; she took more chances. She played more fearless tennis. She went for more shots.
“She really, to me, this year has gone back into the type of tennis she played two years ago when she was top five in the world, but not No 1,” she added.
Kerber though believes she is just going through a dip in form which is simply part of a near allyear-round sport.
“I don’t think you can play (all) one year on the top level, you always have ups and downs,” she said.