Angelique Kerber has not won a game at the French Open since 2015. Nevertheless, the Kieler goes into the Grand Slam tournament on the unloved sand with great ambitions.
Before the first rallies in Roland Garros, Angelique Kerber retired to a small oasis of well-being. In an idyllic Parisian yoga studio in the days leading up to the French Open, the woman from Kiel regained her strength and energy. Kerber still has a score to settle with the second Grand Slam tournament of the season. Since 2015 she has been waiting there for a match to be won. At least that should change now.
Kerber wants to take the Major in the Bois de Boulogne more calmly than last. Unlike last year, for example, when she was eliminated as number one in the seed list in round one. This year, the 30-year-old is not one of the top favourites and also has no world ranking points to defend. Before her opening match against her Fed Cup colleague Mona Barthel on Tuesday, Kerber feels no pressure.
This is probably also due to the fact that the two-time Grand Slam winner does not expect too much from herself on the unloved Parisian underground. “Sand will probably never become my favorite surface,” Kerber had emphasized again and again in the past weeks. The fact that she injured her thigh at her home tournament in Stuttgart and then missed the tournament in Madrid does not improve her chances.
In the previous week, however, Kerber made a promising comeback in Rome, when she only failed in the quarter-finals due to the later tournament winner Elina Svitolina. It remains to be seen, however, whether it will be able to continue seamlessly with its strong start to the year. At least she has no health problems anymore, Kerber said in Paris after her first training session.
And so, once again, German hopes in women’s competition rest on the former world number one. Even more than Julia Görges, the nominal number one, who after her strong appearances from September to April was a bit out of step. Especially as the 29-year-old had a tricky first-round task with the Slovak Dominika Cibulkova and also has a more treacherous draw than Kerber later on.
Meanwhile, their ambitions remain great. “Her goal is to one day be number one again and deal with it differently than last year,” said Kerbers Belgian coach Wim Fissette before the tournament: “She works hard and is very ambitious. Even on sand, which is not easy for them.” In Paris we now have the opportunity to prove this.