"On the way to Tokyo": Kerber's new start to the Olympic year
After a more than mixed season, Angelique Kerber wants to find her way back to her old form in 2020. With a new coaching team, Germany's tennis ace is also making a new attempt at Olympic gold.
by SID
last edit: Dec 17, 2019, 04:23 pm
Before she starts the Olympic year again, Angelique Kerber indulges in minor culinary sins. A few cookies, a glass of wine, and the traditional carp dinner with the Polish grandparents - for Christmas Germany's best tennis player deviates from her otherwise strict diet. "You have to treat yourself to that," she told SID . After the festivities, the focus is once again on sports. Because Kerber has big goals for 2020.
The 31-year-old looks back on an extremely mixed season. Especially at the Grand Slam tournaments, the 2018 Wimbledon champion fell far short of her own expectations. "I think the ups and downs are simply part of me and my career," she says, only to reaffirm her belief in a comeback at the top of the world: "I think I have proven in the past that I too can come back after a little worse years. "
Kerber: "Find my rhythm constantly"
For the messed up year 2019, the Kiel woman who slipped to 20th place in the world rankings has already gained distance. At the beginning of October, a little earlier than usual, Kerber ended her season, went on vacation to Sri Lanka ("A completely new country for me") and calmly devoted herself to the search for a new coach. In the end, she found ex-professional Dieter Kindlmann, plus the Italian athletics coach Marco Panicci, who among other things also makes Novak Djokovic fit.
The three-time major winner now wants to start sporting again with a new coaching team and a new swing. However, without putting too much pressure on it. "I want to give myself time to find my game," she says: "First of all, my goal is to find my rhythm constantly again." Only when she has regained her "self-confidence on the pitch" can she start targeting new titles and trophies.
After all, there will be some particularly attractive ones on offer in the coming year. In Paris, for example, where the only Grand Slam title that is still missing in her collection will be awarded at the French Open. In addition, at the premiere of the new Fed Cup final tournament in Budapest, with Kerber's ex-trainer Rainer Schüttler as the new German captain. And last but not least at the new German home tournaments in June on grass fields in Berlin and Bad Homburg.
Kerber at the 2020 Olympic Games: "Gold would be a dream"
The Summer Games in Tokyo rank a little more. " Olympia is also always a goal to which you base your tournament schedule," emphasizes Kerber, who only narrowly lost in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro in the final. In Japan this time she wants to take this "last step" if possible. "Gold would of course be a dream," she says: "I haven't got the gold medal yet, the silver one is at home."
Even without a medal, the games have a special status for the Bremen native. "Going into the stadium for Germany gives you goosebumps," she enthuses even today about the opening ceremonies in Rio and 2012 in London: "Those are the moments that you as a player will never forget." And should it not work out in the singles, there might even be a gold chance in mixed alongside Alexander Zverev. "The interest is there," she says with a smile: "Let yourself be surprised."