“I was always dreaming of one day being number one and to be in the Grand Slams”, she said.
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Long regarded as a top defensive player, Kerber reaped the benefits of her makeover in the very first major of the year, reaching the Australian Open final and beating Serena Williams for her maiden major.
But the mental strength she’s tried to cultivate was there when she needed it on Saturday.
They seemed to be on course for a third meeting in the final at Flushing Meadows, but the 10th-seeded Pliskova eliminated Williams in the semifinals, after beating her sister Venus in the fourth round.
The left-handed Kerber already was assured of making her debut at No. 1 in the WTA rankings on Monday, ending Serena Williams’ record-tying 186-week stay at the top.
A transformative tennis flashback: The first round of the first Slam in 2016 and Angelique Kerber was preparing to exit the Australian Open, saying later in interviews that she had one foot on the plane.
Kerber won the toss and elected to receive, perhaps for two reasons: Her serve remains the biggest question mark in a game otherwise full of answers, and it made sense to force Pliskova to deal with an early test of nerves. Her opponent, Pliskova also came into the final buoyant after her incredible straight sets win over top seed Serena Williams.
“We all know that the last game wasn’t great, but it’s so hard against her”, Pliskova said.
“She’s really grown as a player”, Fernandez said. She mentioned that the match was unreal for her.
The German began the season with a shock win over Williams in Melbourne, which was only possible after she had saved a match point against Japan’s Misaki Doi in the first round. “Because … if she sees she still has a chance, she’s grabbing it and she goes for it”. From six feet behind the sidelines, Kerber launched both feet off the ground and into the ball, breaking the deadlock with a whistling forehand victor up the line. It’s gonna just kill me. “I mean, especially, because for me starts everything here”. I was still trying to be aggressive.
As a result, she has now pinned her career as the greatest late rise in history. Also, how I was dealing with the pressure when I came here and everybody was asking me about the number one. Ranked No 11 in the world, she had not previously advanced beyond the third round of a grand slam.
Unlike a categorical retriever like Caroline Wozniacki, Kerber did counter and punch back from defence. Kerber, however, is made of stern stuff and gritted her teeth. Some evidence was provided in the wake of Kerber’s victory as journalists pushed her in the direction of their own narratives.
“Right now I don’t know if she has messaged me because my phone is somewhere, so I don’t know how many messages I have now”. In response to such questions, some players will openly admit to their doubts while others will lie.
The quick advantage gave Kerber plenty of breathing room.
“I used to watch a lot of her matches and I remember that all the matches were very fast. It’s always tough to play them”. “I’m really so happy and so proud about everything what’s happened now about my team, about my game, and about my improvement, as well”.
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“I remember the Cincinnati final”. In the year of 2016, 13 years after turning pro, she has finally felt it.
