With "Fire, Heart and Faith": Kerber reaches for the stars again
The semifinals at Wimbledon against Ashleigh Barty is the biggest challenge for Angelique Kerber so far. The many good memories and the affection of the audience should help her.
by SID
last edit:
Jul 08, 2021, 11:58 am
A little superstition can't hurt, thought Angelique Kerber. And that's why the German number one grabbed "their" Court 14 again on Wednesday at the Aorangi training facility in Wimbledon. At the very back, isolated from the hustle and bustle and out of reach of the TV cameras, she had always prepared for her matches in 2018. And as in her great moment three years ago, Kerber wants to start again for the big storm on the title out of this calm.
With many positive memories, the 33-year-old goes into the difficult semi-finals on Thursday (from 2.30 p.m. / on Sky and in the live ticker ) against world number one Ashleigh Barty. "It feels good to have the trophy at home and to have won it here," said Kerber. And only two victories are missing to be able to face the Venus Rosewater Dish a second time on the ledge. "The journey is not over yet," said Kerber tellingly.
Kerber: "Never doubted"
The fact that the title on the "holy lawn" is again within reach for the Kiel woman nine years after her first semi-final at Wimbledon, five years after the first lost final against Serena Williams and the coronation in 2018, is after the difficult past months with many Setbacks and defeats are anything but natural. But you have "never doubted that I can make it back," said Kerber.
This unshakable belief in oneself, which made Kerber number one in the world, now carried her into the semifinals for the fourth time. "At the moment when such a player continues to work, has the fire, the heart and the faith, that's possible. And you can see that now," said German women's tennis boss Barbara Rittner in an interview with SID. She never felt that the three-time Grand Slam winner "is out of breath, that it is no longer burning".
Tournament favorite Barty has not gone unnoticed either. "She fights for every single point. She has won Grand Slams," said the Australian respectfully, the record against Kerber is even 2-2: "She knows how to persevere in brutal moments."
Kerber before the Wimbledon semi-finals: "I love tennis"
At Wimbledon, Kerber shows just how much the fire burns with her self-confident body language, nourished by winning the title in Bad Homburg and already ten victories in a row. "This self-image and your own belief have returned, the doubts have disappeared - you can see that in their charisma and in their looks," said Rittner. And the fans on Church Road, who love Kerber for their tireless fighting spirit, feel that too.
This support from the stands - since Tuesday even full stadiums have been allowed at Wimbledon - is a very big key for Kerber to her success. "I love tennis. And I love going out and playing in front of the fans," she said. "I think that's what drives me to play my best tennis here." In any case, Wimbledon is a "magical place" for them, as Kerber has emphasized several times.
"She just feels loved, recognized and admired by the English," explained Rittner, adding the memories of the great successes in London: "Angie is a very emotional and passionate person, and that can make a big difference." And of course it can also carry you through to the finals.