Angelique Kerber’s tennis career continues: The former number one wrestles down her second opponent on the unpopular clay of Roland Garros and plays for the Olympic quarter-finals.
Angelique Kerber seemed more moved than ever after reaching the round of 16 at the Olympic Games in Paris. Her lips seemed to be trembling a little as she postponed the end of her dazzling tennis career once again and answered questions about her emotional performance. With impressive determination and a 6:4, 3:6, 6:4 win in the midday heat against Romanian Jaqueline Cristian, the 36-year-old mastered her second Olympic challenge in France. She continues her farewell tour against Canadian Leylah Fernandez with the chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
“That’s why I came back. Because of this atmosphere. Because of these emotions. I can still do it,” said Kerber, who made her comeback after her maternity leave at the beginning of the season. The victory was like a “liberation.”
Two days after her brilliant Olympic debut against former Japanese world number one Naomi Osaka, the match against Cristian went back and forth. There were moments when it looked as if it could be the last singles match of Kerber’s career. And there were moments when her famous defensive skills and especially her fighting qualities came into play again. They helped her to victory in the end.
“Oh, how beautiful”
Overwhelmed, Kerber pounded her heart when she used the third match point after 2 hours and 16 minutes. She dropped her racket into the red clay, knelt briefly and cheered as if it was about much more than just a victory in the second round. Shouts of “Oh, how beautiful” rang out from the stands.
The cheering at the last change of ends in the hard-fought third set, with some of the German fans shouting “Angie” and others answering with “Kerber”, gave the three-time Grand Slam tournament winner even more strength.
“I have to say, without these emotions or this atmosphere, who knows, it might have turned out differently. But it actually gave me another two, three or maybe even ten percent motivation,” said the left-hander. She herself does not know how she managed to get the stop ball in the second to last rally.
End of career? “The decision has been made”
Unlike the strong and surprising victory against Osaka, which she celebrated on the largest court, the 2016 silver medalist had to play in a back corner of the French Open facility this time. After an even start, the Romanian made more mistakes and helped Kerber win the first set. Kerber lost her thread a little in the second set, but withstood the pressure on place 14.
Alexander Zverev had previously speculated with a smile that Kerber would not stop now and that she was playing too well for that. But Kerber countered. “The decision has been made. I know that I can still play incredibly well,” she said, “but at some point you just have to make the decision. It is incredibly difficult for me and I struggle with the emotions every day. I am still trying to stay tough.”
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
