Serena Williams spoke of her admiration for Angelique Kerber following her surprise loss to the German at the Australian Open.
The world No.1 was the bookies favorite going into the match after winning five out of their previous six encounters. The American was also on the verge of equalling Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles, the second highest total for women in the Open Era. The historic accomplishment failed to happen as Kerber displayed some of her best tennis, winning 58% of Williams second service points throughout the match. The defeat is a sour experience for the world No.1, however, she spoke highly about the new Australian Open champion.
“I was actually really happy for her. She’s been around a really long time. We’ve had a number of matches. I’ve beaten her a lot”. Williams said.
“She played so well today. She had an attitude that I think a lot of people can learn from: just to always stay positive and to never give up. I was really inspired by that. So, honestly, she’s a really good girl. If I couldn’t win, I’m happy she did”.
It was a far from perfect performance from the world No.1 in Melbourne as she produced 46 unforced errors compared to Kerber’s 13. Analyzing her latest performance, the 34-year-old admitted that her shot selection was problematic.
“She kept hitting some great shots actually every time I came in. I think I kept picking the wrong shots coming into it”. The world No.1 admitted.
“But, honestly, it’s something to learn from, just to try to get better”.
Despite failing to win a Grand Slam title for the second successive time, Williams still has a dominating lead in the rankings. Her nearest rival will be new champion Kerber, however, the German is still 3545 points behind the 34-year-old. Last year Williams was five out of five in WTA finals, claiming three consecutive Grand Slam titles. Her recent dominance in the women’s game has lead to many placing her as the stand out player of the WTA Tour. The complements are certainly welcomed by the American but she admitted that she isn’t the perfect player.
“As much as I would like to be a robot, I’m not”. She said.
“But, you know, I do the best that I can. I try to win every single time I step out there, every single point, but realistically I can’t do it. Maybe someone else can, but I wasn’t able to do it”.
There are no signs of a slowdown for the America, who confirmed that she intends to return to Melbourne in 2017.
