It is fair to say that the first month of 2017 could have gone better for Germany’s Angelique Kerber.
Within the first 30 days of the new year, Kerber failed to defend her Australian Open title following a shock loss to Coco Vandeweghe and subsequently lost her world No.1 position to Serena Williams. She has already played in four tournaments this season, but the world No.2 has only managed to win back-to-back matches at one of them (Melbourne).
Kerber’s most recent disappointment occurred at the Qatar Total Open in Doha, where she crashed out to 19-year-old Daria Kasatkina. The match was a summary of her start to 2017 as she showed glimpses of the magical play that took her to two grand slam titles last year before falling short due to her inconsistency.
“It’s maybe not the best start I was wishing for but it’s also not too big a drama. I still have the same team around me and I know how to get back I think, it is just about playing and winning matches again.” She recently told Gulf News.
“I’m practicing really well, so I think it’s just case of transferring that into matches. I think it’s just a case of one or two matches before it changes because I’m really feeling good.”
The next tournament in Kerber’s bid to reclaim her form and the world No.1 ranking will be the Dubai Tennis Championships. Seeded first in the competition, the German will be hoping to break new ground at the event after her previous shortcomings. This year is Kerber’s sixth appearance in Dubai, but she is yet to reach the quarter-final stage.
“I will give my best to win a lot of matches and then we will see if I can get back to No.1. There’s still a long way to go, it’s still only February, and I’m excited about what’s ahead. But my first goal is to get back on court and play consistently good tennis again.” She said.
The first obstacle in Kerber’s Dubai campaign will be compatriot Mona Barthel, who raced past Jelena Jankovic 6-3, 6-1, in her opening match. Former top-30 player Barthel is on the comeback from both illness and injury after a turbulent 2016 for the 26-year-old. Last month she reached the fourth round at the Australian Open as a qualifier.
“I mean she is playing such great tennis. She had some amazing wins last year. But I have nothing to lose. I will just go out and try to enjoy the moment and let’s see what happens.” Barthel said about her upcoming match against Kerber.
Kerber has a head-to-head record of 2-2 against Barthel, last playing her in 2013.
