12 de septiembre de 2016, 14:20London, Sep 12 (Prensa Latina) German female tennis star Angelique Kerber replaced USA player Serena Williams as the one with the first place of the female tennis world ranking Monday.
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But what made it sweeter was Kerber became the first German to become world No. 1 since Steffi Graf in 1997.
US Open victor Angelique Kerber poses after a news conference at the airport hotel in Munich, Germany September 13, 2016.
Karolina Pliskova: Pliskova broke through in a big way this summer, halting Kerber’s quest to become No.1 in the final of the Western & Southern Open to win the biggest title of her young career.
Angelique Kerber, of Germany, poses with the WTA No. 1 trophy after winning the women’s single final at the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in NY.
“I was trying to put everything together, be more positive and I had all the confidence from the years before”. She eventually won the game and took a 4-3 lead, and a clearly waning Pliskova, who began to kneel down after every point, committed multiple unforced errors which doomed her in the final two games and sealed the win for Kerber.
He is 3-0 in Grand Slam finals, beating the No. 1-ranked player each time.
“To have this result here has been awesome”, Mattek-Sands told the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd during the trophy ceremony, her eyes welling with tears and her voice choking on her words. “And now to see that the work pays off, this is actually the best feeling”.
Looking back, she said her improved fitness and mental strength had been key to her success.
She was runner-up to Williams again at Wimbledon, and claimed silver at the Rio Olympics.
“It’s just wonderful”, Kerber said in an on-court interview. Wasn’t always, though: Playing in the shadow of his far-more-accomplished Swiss countryman and good pal, Roger Federer, Wawrinka needed until his 35th appearance at a major, at age 28, just to get to the semifinals for the first time. “I waited for this moment all my life”, she said.
After Pliskova sailed a forehand wide on match point, Kerber fell to her back on the stadium court and then climbed into the stands to hug her coach, Torben Beltz.
She lost against Karolína Plíšková, stopping her bid for a 23rd Grand Slam victory and losing her ranking of number one in the world, ranking second in the world now.
She was asked about the lessons of her journey. She certainly deserves it a lot.
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Asked what she might pass on to her children one day about achieving their dreams, Kerber said. “When I was going down the line I knew, Okay, now I have to risk a little bit, because this is the only chance I can get”.
