MELBOURNE, Jan 12 — Former world number one and new mum Angelique Kerber says she still “has the fire” to compete at the top and always planned to return to tennis after giving birth.
The three-time major champion ended an 18-month hiatus at the United Cup this month, helping Germany win the title in Sydney.
Now preparing for her first Grand Slam since having a baby, she admitted missing the emotions and drama that come with being on court.
“Why I’m coming back? I think this is the question a lot of people are asking me. It is because I love the sport, I love to play tennis,” the 35-year-old said today ahead of the Australian Open, which she won in 2016.
“I already saw it last week with a lot of emotions again, a lot of dramas, up and downs, match points down. This is what I was missing, being on the court, seeing the fans and having the emotions out there.
“It was always in my mind to come back from the beginning.”
Reunited with longtime coach Torben Beltz, Kerber has been putting in the work on the practice court since August, taking a slow and gradual approach to getting back into form.
It has been a rocky road so far, with four defeats and just one win — against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic — at the United Cup.
“I have still the fire,” she said. “When I lose a match, because I hate to lose, so it is still there. I think this doesn’t change.
“What changed is that I’m faster to recover from that, because of course if I’m back in the hotel, I have to be again someone else.”
She faces a difficult first-round encounter at the Australian Open against Danielle Collins, a finalist in 2022.
“It is a tough opponent. She hits the ball very hard. I don’t know if I will find my rhythm, to be honest,” she said.
“It is how it is. It is my first real tournament. For me being here, I am trying to play as good as I can and to see how far I can go. I know that I need to be patient for the next few months.” — AFP