Wimbledon: The fruits of hard work? - German hopes rest on Oscar Otte and Angelique Kerber
They are the German hopes in Wimbledon, each in their own way. But Angelique Kerber and Oscar Otte both know that hard work pays off.
by SID/red.
last edit: Jun 26, 2022, 07:51 pm
When Angelique Kerber passes through the heavy iron gates on Church Road and enters the sanctum of tennis, the memories awaken. It's that "Wimbledon moment," she says, where everything suddenly comes back. The big victories against Serena or Venus Williams, the triumph in 2018, the fulfillment of her childhood dream. But also the bitter defeats. The setbacks in her career, says Kerber, made all her successes possible in the first place.
All tennis players know about defeats, especially the followers in the lowlands of the tour. Oscar Otte from Cologne was one of them for half a professional life - until his steep rise, which led him to the Wimbledon seeding list. In addition to Kerber (34), Otte (28) is the German hope this year in the classic lawn in London's southwest, both start the tournament on Monday.
Otte set for the first time in a Grand Slam
"I've waited for years to be in this situation," says Otte about his new status. In the All England Club he is the German number one - Olympic champion Alexander Zverev is injured. Also due to the exclusion of the Russians, Otte, who was still a qualifier twelve months ago, suddenly belongs to the elite. The semi-finals in Stuttgart and Halle earned him respect. "It's possible that one or the other was happy that I'm seeded now," he says.
He was allowed to follow the draw "a little more relaxed", Otte can only meet the big favorites Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal later. His buddy Peter Gojowczyk is waiting for the start, "not that easy either," he says and assesses the first-round hurdle similar to Kerber. Her opponent Kristina Mladenovic from France, a doubles expert who has won several Grand Slam titles, "knows exactly how to play in the big places," says Kerber.
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Kerber: "Didn't win Wimbledon in two weeks"
Nevertheless, the Kieler is the big favorite in this match, even if the dress rehearsal in Bad Homburg with the elimination in the quarterfinals did not go as desired. "The Grand Slams have their own rules," she says - and Wimbledon is different anyway. Not only this year without Russians, Belarusians and world ranking points, which were withdrawn from the oldest tennis tournament in the world after the much-discussed decision to ban professionals from Russia and Belarus.
Kerber and Otte: At first glance they appear to be completely different professionals who nevertheless have a lot in common. Before starting, both emphasize the hard work behind their successes. "I didn't win Wimbledon in two weeks, but over 12 or 13 years," says Kerber. Otte still remembers "other times, a different ranking". Years passed before he was promoted to the extended circle of favorites at Wimbledon - with countless defeats and setbacks.
Here is the men's individual tableau from Wimbledon.
Here is the women's individual tableau from Wimbledon.
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