Coach Wim Fissette believes that Angelique Kerber is not yet full after her Wimbledon victory. Barbara Rittner expects the radiant winner of London to attack the tennis throne again.
By Ulrike Weinrich from Wimbledon
In all the hustle and bustle Wim Fissette seemed a bit like the rock in the surf. While his protégé mastered a true media marathon in the catacombs, including 19 officially listed TV interviews, the Belgian answered questions for the world’s press on the sun-drenched terrace with a view of the Centre Court.
Fissette told about the first days with Kerber in November 2017, when he took over from Torben Beltz as coach. And he didn’t know whether it would be harder or easier for him as a coach in the future. “I’ll know in a few weeks. I’ll give Angie a little time off first,” said the 38-year-old with a smile and said: “Then I’ll see if she wants more or is satisfied because she won Wimbledon. But I think she wants more. An Angie with confidence is hard to beat.”
Fissette, who also looked after Simona Halep, Johanna Konta and led his compatriot Kim Clijsters to three Grand Slam victories, and Kerber had started to work on the serve for the Kieler right at the beginning of their engagement. The service was also key in winning the final against Serene Williams on Saturday afternoon.
“We have changed small technical things like the foot position, but above all we have worked mentally. I told her your serve could really be a weapon. But you have to believe in it”, Fissette reported: “On grass you see quick success. The serve has already become a small weapon, but there’s more.”
For the father of a little son, the coup on Church Road is of the utmost importance. “This is the biggest tournament ever, even for Angie. If they had asked her what tournament you would like to win, she would have said: Wimbledon. This will give Angie a lot of self-confidence, also for the future,” Fissette explained.
Barbara Rittner, Haed of Womens Tennis and Kerber’s long-time companion, was also clearly moved. “I think that this is the absolute highlight for Angie and that she can now really say that I have achieved everything I have ever dreamed of,” said the former Fed Cup team boss and unkte: “I can imagine that she also wants to attack the number-one position again. Angie is by far the most constant this season.”
Rittner sees the new arrangement of Kerbers support team as the key to success. “She just had the courage to go that way. And that’s remarkable, because she hates nothing more than change and new people around her. Angie is a creature of habit. The fact that she took this step and was rewarded also gives her something for life,” said Rittner.
The 45-year-old experienced the day as a TV commentator, among others. Nevertheless, she was deeply moved: “In every third scene I thought: This is an image for eternity,” Rittner revealed. She also believes Kerber will cope better with the hustle and bustle than after her first major victories in Melbourne and New York in 2016: “She has a clue what to expect. I think she can enjoy it more.”
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