Angelique Kerber will meet Petra Kvitova in her opening match at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix on Wednesday evening in Stuttgart. The Kieler lost against the Czech woman in the Fed Cup semi-finals this weekend. But if you believe Kerber coach Wim Fissette, the unloved sand can turn his protégé into a “better player”. The Belgian emphasized in the interview that the “best Angie” of all time was yet to be seen. He also talks about carpet training, mental coach and Kerber as the Grand Slam title favourite.
Question: “Wim Fissette, Angelique Kerber is always very reserved with her expectations of sand. What are your feelings for the next few weeks?”
Fissette: “This is an important time. I firmly believe that Sand can make Angie a better player. Because she has to train certain things there that she also needs on grass and hard court – and that makes her play better there. We’ve had some good days of training. Step by step and day by day we try to make them better.”
“Why is it heavier on ash than on other surfaces?”
Fissette: “It has to be said that sand is the hardest for Angie. This is clear, which is why our expectations are not as high as on hard courts or lawns. Of course she likes to play on grass and immediately feels the confidence. In the last few years she has also lacked a bit of the power to be successful on heavy clay courts. She used to have good and fast legs to get every ball back. Now we try to get her strength out of her legs to play really offensive tennis. Which she has already shown well in Australia.”
Question: “What did you change?”
Fissette: “Angie plays quite classically. She used to train a lot on carpets, so the contact points are different. That is why we also try to change small technical details. The younger generation plays with a lot of spin, which is difficult. You have to adapt and move differently. Angie must have a very clear plan how she should play. I trust that she can survive matches, that she fights her way in – and wins in the end. And if that succeeds, there are possibilities on sand as well.”
Question: “Is this a kind of transitional sand court season. Or do you have specific goals?”
Fissette: “That’s difficult to say. The clay court season is short, everything depends on the first tournaments – whether she wins the belief that she can succeed on clay. That’s gonna make a big difference. “Other things like drawing lots etc. will also be important.”
Question: “Does motivation suffer when it comes to a surface you don’t like?”
Fissette: “No, Angie’s motivation is at 100 percent. But of course she has such good experiences on grass – and also on hard court. On sand, however, these really good experiences are missing, especially at the tournaments in Rome, Madrid and the French Open. When we came to Melbourne this year and she saw the Centre Court, all the memories came back from her Grand Slam victory in 2016. If she comes to Paris now, then she doesn’t have these positive memories – yet. Maybe Angie will get those memories this year.”
Question: “How important is the mental component with regard to their’sand phobia’?”
Fissette: “I told her she could play on sand. Angie also won the tournament in Charleston on clay in 2015. I showed her some videos of it so she could see how she won and moved there. Of course, the mental is always part of it, talking about certain situations is always very important”.
“Does Angie have a pure mental coach?”
Fissette: “No. She is already experienced and worked with a mental coach a long time ago. I’ve already gained experience in this respect – also with other players.”
Question: “They started working together in December 2017. How far did you get on the to-do list?”
Fissette: “I don’t think we’ve seen the best Angie yet. Their success at the beginning of the year was also a small problem. Actually, we had already planned a few more weeks of training, which we didn’t have, because she was at the tournaments almost always until the end. “It also shows that Angie had very good results.”
“How do you classify your protégé with a view to a Serena Williams, for example?”
Fissette: “Angie doesn’t have the incredible power of a Serena. She has a lot of talent, of course, but she has to be at 100 percent physically and mentally, then she can beat everyone else. But it is not so easy to do this all year round. I’m sure we’ll see the best Angie, that’s our goal. “The best Angie always belongs in the top five and is one of the favourites to win a Grand Slam tournament.”
Question: “What condition was Kerber in at their joint start after their disappointing 2017 season?”
Fissette: “She was mentally very positive and immediately showed that she wants to make 2018 a top year. During the training it was easy because the motivation was right. Physically it was a bit of work. It took us a few weeks to make them really fit. Condition coach Rob Brandsma did a great job. But you have to say: Angie learns quickly, you can work incredibly hard with her. And she’s recovering incredibly quickly.”