US Open: Angelique Kerber after US open-out: “Wimbledon has emaciated her”

Angelique Kerber is out of the US Open. In the three-set defeat against Dominika Cibulkova, the Germans missed the punch that made them win the tournament in Wimbledon.

When Wim Fissette and his boss Angelique Kerber met at the end of last year to discuss the season plan for 2018, the big goal was quickly set: Wimbledon, the tournament of tournaments, should be won. It was the date that counted. And it was the mission that eclipsed everything else.

And on 14 July, the memorable, historic, unforgettable triumph on the most famous of all Centre Courts was actually accomplished. In the final against Serena Williams, the influential player of this epoch. A dream came true, a dream since childhood.

Probably on this day, at the most important of all Grand Slam competitions, the tennis year for Kerber has already come to an end. Kerber once hinted at this en passant, even in London, with the blurred remark shortly after the final coup: “More is not possible”.

The summer after the title win was mixed, at best decent, and now, at the US Open, Kerber never got into the special, extraordinary Grand Slam mood to possibly land a double shot at the top tournaments.

Kerber struggled her way through two rounds against competitors from the middle class of the tennis tour before failing deservedly on Saturday 6:3, 3:6 and 3:6 against the former WTA World Champion Dominika Cibulkowa from Slovakia: “I let the game take my hands off me,” Kerber said afterwards. And then emphasized: “What I have achieved this year, no one can take away from me.”

Indeed, in the new complexity of modern women’s tennis this season, Kerber was something of a constant, a small stability factor. With the semi-final entry in Melbourne, the quarter-final advance in Paris and the grandiose success in Wimbledon, she was the best Grand Slam player ever in 2018 – only Serena Williams could dispute her rank with a US Open victory.

“She’s given herself a lot of strength in the last few months. That could not be overlooked in New York,” remarked former world-class player Chris Evert, “Wimbledon, this whole performance there, it was also emotionally emaciated”. So Kerbers guest performance in the Big Apple was only of fleeting nature, without memory value – also all motivation attempts of Coach Fissette and the own activation appeals helped nothing.

“Come on” Kerber shouted over and over again in the three matches, but it was mostly more torture than joy that radiated their matches. Against Cibulkova Kerber fell into old mistakes, playing too hesitantly and anxiously even after the encouraging 1-0 set lead.

In the end, she had no chance against the hot-aggressive Slovakian, who completely dictated the beat and rhythm of the game. At the end of the Grand Slam season, many of the favourites were also eliminated in New York before Kerber, the physically more and more demanding circuit is taking its toll on the elite.

Halep, the number one, and Wozniacki, the number two, said goodbye early and tired. Other Grand Slam champions besides Kerber also had no punch, such as the two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova.

Or Spain’s Garbine Muguruza. Like last year, when the blatant outsider Sloane Stephens won, the US Open could once again become a miracle bag – with a championess that nobody has on the bill. One that suddenly travels there like on a mission.