"Always picked up" - Zverev and Kerber with a successful start to the season
The German tennis pros made victorious starts in Melbourne: Alexander Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff at the ATP Cup , Angelique Kerber at the WTA tournament in Melbourne Park.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: Feb 03, 2021, 12:01 pm
In 8th place at the National Tennis Center in Melbourne, Angelique Kerber was literally a long way off on Wednesday from the place where her career had entered a new dimension almost exactly five years ago. But this February 3, 2021 was also a memorable moment for Kerber (33), none for the history books like the Australian Open coup at the end of January 2016. But an emotionally stirring moment, the first competitive game in around four months , the first victory since almost five months, an act of personal liberation after a long self-isolation in the Corona crisis, after the tougher quarantine in Melbourne.
“It's great to be back on the pitch. To be able to play tennis ”, said Kerber, who fought hard for the 6: 3, 4: 6, 6: 3 success against the Czech Katerina Siniakova. Kerber starts this week under special conditions at one of the six tournaments held at the same time in Melbourne, the Grampians Trophy, which was included in the program especially for the players who had previously not been allowed to leave their hotel room for 14 days due to strict quarantine. The start of the season felt “good”, said Kerber, “a lot is as usual here.” But after the match Kerber could only say a few words of thanks to the German fans, who waved their flags in eighth place. Writing autographs is not allowed in pandemic times.
Also Zverev and Struff with victories
Kerber was not the only very satisfied representative of the generally manageable German contingent Down Under. Because on the night of Wednesday German time, Alexander Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff had already secured the later 2-1 success for Germany at the ATP Cup against Canada with their individual victories.
Struff , the 30-year-old Warsteiner, gave Zverev a surprising 7: 6 (7: 4), 7: 6 (7: 2) win over Milos Raonic - and the German number one took the pass with a 6 : 7 (5: 7), 6: 3 and 7: 6 (7: 4) against Denis Shapovalov thanks. "I missed a lot of chances, but then I got up again and again," said the world number seven, "It was a typical match for the beginning of the season, without much rhythm and consistency." Kevin Krawietz and Struff lost in doubles at the end of the game (he replaced Andreas Mies) with 6: 7 (4: 7), 7: 6 (8: 6) and 3:10 against Peter Polansky and Steven Diez. This Thursday, Germany is in a duel with defending champion Serbia and his front man Novak Djokovic for the semi-finals.
Pat Cash: "Count Zverev to the extended circle of favorites"
Despite all the difficulties, Zverev's appearance looked like a sharp contrast to the previous year, as the German immediately fell into a crisis with a series of defeats in the newly launched nationwide competition. Boris Becker, at that time still team boss of the DTB selection, even thought the 23-year-old from Hamburg was “trapped in a dark room”, “from which he somehow can't get out.
The fact that he later advanced to the semi-finals at the Australian Open was like anticipating a season in which Zverev explored many ups and downs and was often difficult to grasp. In any case, Zverev was one of the strongest Grand Slam players of the 2020 short season, at the US Open he was only two points away from his first major title in the final drama against Dominic Thiem. "At the Australian Open from next week you have to reckon with everything possible and impossible, it is an unprecedented tournament with all the imponderables at the moment," says Australia's former superstar Pat Cash, "but I count Zverev among the wider favorites. Behind people like Djokovic, Nadal or Thiem. "
"That makes them so dangerous," says Evert of Kerber
Kerber, now ranked 25th in the world, is also classified by some experts as a so-called “Dark Horse”, a prominent unknown in the grand Grand Slam equation. Kerber is always strongest “when nobody is expecting her, including herself”, says old master Chris Evert, “she has no pressure, nobody expects anything from her. And that makes them dangerous. "
Before major Grand Slam tasks, however, there is first the compulsory program at the first tournament appearance, in round two of the Grampians Trophy Kerber now meets the Tunisian Ons Jabeur, one of the climbers of the last season - and even a player who is smaller and bigger in Melbourne Surprises are expected.