Kerber raring to be prima donna again
GERMAN HAS TO CONTEND WITH SEVEN OF THE TOP TEN IN DUBAI
urrent world number two Angelique Kerber will line up for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships next week knowing that taking the title will see her regain her top ranking.
The 29-year-old German dethroned the seemingly invincible Serena Williams on September 12 last year to become the oldest woman and the first German since Steffi Graf to take the number one spot. But her loss in Round 4 at the Australian Open and Williams’ victory there saw her surrender the ranking after 20 weeks at the top.
Kerber currently trails the younger Williams by 665 points and with Dubai being a Premier 5 event this year there are 900 ranking points on the line. Kerber is scheduled to also compete in the Qatar Open this week and can return to number one if she makes the finals of both Doha and Dubai, or if she wins in Dubai.
But she will face one of the strongest fields ever when she bids to add the Dubai crown to her two Grand Slam trophies when play commences on February 19. With a field featuring seven of the top ten players in the world, Kerber’s run to the title will by no means be an easy one, and she will be under more pressure than most.
After ending Serena’s record-tying run (with Steffi Graf) of 186 weeks at the top of the rankings, Kerber knows that she is in everyone’s sights.
But rather than fearing what lies ahead, Kerber is relishing the challenge, saying before the Australian Open, “I’m actually more excited. I know that I have the pressure on my shoulders but I am really looking forward to take this challenge. It’s a new situation for me. Every player would like to beat me now. So I will just try to go out and not think about this.”
She certainly has something to prove to her many fans in Dubai with just one win from her previous five appearances.
‘New situation’
“Several players outside of the top 10 have been in great form as the 2017 season gets under way, including CoCo Vandeweghe, who had a brilliant run at the Australian Open, and ended Kerber’s attempt to defend her title,” said said Colm McLoughlin, executive vice-chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free, the tournament owners and organisers.
“We are thrilled that so many of the world’s top women players are returning to compete for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title,” said tournament director Salah Tahlak
The WTA event will start on February 19, followed by the ATP World tour event from February 27.