2017 low helped me come back stronger: Kerber
Former world number one Angelique Kerber said her Wimbledon triumph on Saturday would not have been possible without experiencing the lows of last year’s slide down the rankings.
The 30-year-old produced a superb display to beat Serena Williams 6-3, 6-3 and become the first German since Steffi Graf in 1996 to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish on Centre Court.
Kerber also beat Williams in the 2016 Australian Open final and is the only player, apart from Serena’s older sister Venus, to beat her twice in a Grand Slam final.
She also won the U.S. Open in 2016 and lost to Serena in the Wimbledon final, rising to number one in the WTA rankings.
The left-hander struggled to deal with the added focus last year, though, when she failed to win a title and slid from number one to 21 in the rankings.
It was a time for soul-searching but the experience made her stronger and she has rebounded in style, reaching the Australian Open final and the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.
“I think without 2017 I couldn’t win this tournament,” Kerber, who will rise back to world number four, told reporters.
“I think I learned a lot from last year, with all the expectation, all the things I go through. I learned so many things about myself.
“I also needed to find the motivation after 2016, which was amazing. To make again such a year is impossible. But I just tried to improve my game, not think too much about the results.”
Bremen-born Kerber said her first experiences of Wimbledon were watching seven-times champion Graf. Their games are not too similar.
Attacking right-hander Graf relied on her big forehand and serve while left-hander Kerber is more of a counter-puncher.
“She was playing very different to me, a lot of slice and playing strong off the forehand and having a good serve,” Kerber said. “But the thing I took from her was her movement and that she hit a lot of balls back, but also with intent.
“She was going out there having her mind only on the court and playing every single match her
LONDON: YUZVENDRA CHAHAL, India spinner
best tennis.”
FEARED FOR SERENA ‘S LIFE: ALEXIS OHANIAN
The husband of Serena Williams admitted Sunday that he feared the tennis superstar would die after giving birth to their daughter last year.
Alexis Ohanian, the internet entrepreneur and founder of Reddit, saluted the 36-year-old Williams for battling back from life-saving surgery to get within touching distance of an eighth Wimbledon title.
“Days after our baby girl was born, I kissed my wife goodbye before surgery and neither of us knew if she would be coming back,” Ohanian wrote on Instagram.
“We just wanted her to survive - 10 months later, she’s in the #Wimbledon final.”
The couple’s daughter Olympia was born in September but Serena then needed a series of operations to free her from the risk of clotting.
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MIKE WINS 17TH SLAM, 1ST WITHOUT BROTHER
Mike Bryan found himself a suitable backup partner for Wimbledon and the result was a record-tying 17th Grand Slam men’s doubles title - and his first without his twin brother.
Bryan teamed with Jack Sock and the American duo edged Raven Klaasen of South Africa and Michael Venus of New Zealand 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 in the final. The 40-year-old Bryan is the oldest man in the Open era to win the doubles title at the All England Club. He won his first 16 Major championships with his twin, Bob, who is sidelined right now because of a hip injury.
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