Struggling German world No.1 Kerber out to find elusive love for Roland Garros clay
>> PARIS: World No.1 Angelique Kerber is out to find a love for clay in Paris on the French Open courts, with the outof-form German traditionally struggling on this surface.
With the year’s second Grand Slam starting today, Kerber said she needed to get match practice to return to the form that earned her the world No.1 ranking last year as well as the Australian Open and US Open titles.
Clay has never been her preferred surface, and the 29-year-old made an opening round exit in Paris last year. She has only once made it as far as the quarter-finals.
“I will just try to, you know, take it step by step and try to get in love a little bit with the clay,” Kerber told reporters on Friday.
“Everybody knows it’s not my favourite surface, but we have to play on clay,” she said. “Also last year this was not the best weeks for me. It was my best year, but... when I played tournaments on clay, I was not playing so well.”
Kerber has struggled this season, and she withdrew from the Madrid Open with a thigh injury and was beaten in straight sets by qualifier Anna Kontaveit in Rome last week.
“This year it’s actually the same. It can be just better,” said Kerber, who will face Russian Ekaterina Makarova, ranked 40th in the world, in the first round in Paris.
“I need matches. I need matches where I can start playing and feeling my tennis. Winning matches, I think this is also important. And just, you know, going out and trying to find my game,” she said.
Meanwhile, Garbine Muguruza was invited to appear at the preFrench Open draw ceremony on Friday — one of the duties of being the reigning champion.
She did not stay for the important part though, when her first-round opponent was revealed.
Which is just as well as she might have looked a little uncomfortable at the prospect of facing 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone.
Schiavone, at 36, might not be quite the force she once was but is still a ferocious claycourt warrior and will be ready to capitalise on Muguruza’s fragile confidence.
“I think it’s an interesting match,” Muguruza, 23, said.
“It’s very strange to find first round two past champions. And I saw her. She’s playing good. She played Bogota and another tournament where she reached the final or won. So I think she’s playing good on clay. It’s a good match to start.
“Doesn’t matter really who I’m going to face. It’s gonna be an interesting tournament for me to see how I can play, how my feelings are. And that’s it.”