Regaining the world No.1 position at this week’s Qatar Open is not the first priority for Angelique Kerber.
The two-time grand slam champion will return to action this week at the Doha event, which is categorised as a Premier event. It will be Kerber’s first test on the tour since she crashed out in the fourth round to Coco Vandeweghe at the Australian Open. Seeded first, the German is one of five top-10 players participating in the event.
“I came here to Doha little bit earlier to get ready and to get used to the courts and the weather conditions. I’m feeling ready to play again because it’s a long time since I played matches.” Said Kerber.
Kerber will hoping to return to her winning ways in Doha following her below-par start to the season. In her first three tournaments of the year, the world No.2 has only managed to reach one quarter-final in Brisbane. A sharp contrast to 12 months ago when she reached the final of the Brisbane Open before clinching her first major title in Melbourne.
“I had like a few weeks off where I played matches. But I think it was not bad to get a bigger rest, to get ready for these two tournaments.” She said about her preparation for this week.
Lifting the title this week would see the German move back to the top of the rankings on the WTA Tour. Last year Kerber became the first No.1 player from her country since Steffi Graf. Despite the opportunity presenting itself, the 28-year-old is more focused on grabbing a confidence boost following her shaky start to the season.
“For me, it’s really important to play good tennis and to try to improve my game. That is actually my goal always.” Said Kerber.
“I will do my best in the next few weeks, few months. If you play good tennis, then you have results. This is actually for me the most important thing, to win matches again, getting the confidence back. Then we will see what happens in the next few months.”
This week Kerber is set to endure some tough challenges. To reach the final, she faces potential clashes against Daria Kasatkina, Timea Bacsinszky and Agnieszka Radwanska. Speaking about a potential second round showdown with Kasatkina, who she lost to at the Sydney International, Kerber is eager to get her revenge.
“I played against her in Sydney. She played a good match. I was not playing my best at that time. She’s a young player and has improved a lot from last year.” The 28-year-old admitted.
“It’s always tough to play against the young girls that are coming right now. But I’m looking forward. She’s a tough opponent. If I have the chance to play against her here in Doha, I’m sure it will be a good match.”
Kerber has a first round bye in the tournament. Last year she was stunned in the second round by China’s Zheng Shuai.
