No. 1 Kerber looking for Miami boost
miami — Germany’s Angelique Kerber heads into this week’s Miami Open in the unusual position of having regained the world number one 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 number one 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 Calfornia 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 semi-final.
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 number one and 18-times grand slam winner Chris Evert believes Kerber is not taking enough risks with her play. —