Lawn classic: Kerber on Wimbledon: “Memories come up”

Without the injured Alexander Zverev, Angelique Kerber carries a large part of the German tennis hopes at the classic lawn in Wimbledon.

Four years after her great triumph on Church Road, the 34-year-old will start the tournament against Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic on Monday. Before the start, the three-time Grand Slam winner talks about her special feeling, the return of Serena Williams and the lack of world ranking points.

…about the Wimbledon moment on the return:

“The Wimbledon moment only comes when you have arrived here, when you drive in here by car, enter the facility and know: now it starts in a few days. That’s when all the memories come up, you know where and how to warm up. The routine comes back, you arrive mentally and you know that your head is completely in Wimbledon. It is a great feeling.”

…about the favorite role:

“I think many can win. You could also see that in the last Grand Slams, that there are always surprises. Iga Swiatek has so much confidence, plays very well on grass. You have to beat them here first.”

…about the comeback of Serena Williams:

“I take all my hats off to her for getting fit again. She knows what she can do, she’s won so many titles here, grass is one of her favorite surfaces. I definitely have a lot of credit for her. When she does something, she does something right. And that’s what she’s here for, she communicated that clearly.”

…about the missing world ranking points:

“For me, there was never any question of not playing Wimbledon – whether with or without points. I’m not the one playing for the points or the rankings, I’m the one playing for the sport. Anyone who hasn’t understood what it’s about hasn’t quite understood the sport either.”