Kerber is the oldest player to become world number one for the first time but the likes of Williams, her sister Venus, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka are proving players can now challenge for major titles well into their thirties.
Advertisement
But what made it sweeter was Kerber became the first German to become world No. 1 since Steffi Graf in 1997.
Serena said a left knee injury sustained in the second round of the Open – that she apparently aggravated during her quarterfinal win over Simona Halep – hampered her mobility in the semis.
Angelique Kerber of Germany celebrates with the US Open womens singles trophy after defeating Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic in the final at NY, on Saturday.
After Australia, she didn’t win either of the next two majors in the French Open and Wimbledon, although she was again in the finals-at Wimbledon.
That it would happen at Flushing Meadows is fitting.
With a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over the surprising Pliskova, Kerber bookended the Gram Slam season with her second major of the year.
“This is wonderful. I came here without the goal of winning it but just to step on the court trying to win”.
“For sure”, Kerber told Pliskova during the trophy ceremony, “you have a great future”. Truth be told, she had got the number one ranking before her semifinal match but the way she beautifully took the title speaks volumes of the champion she is.
Not that everything went smoothly those five years in between.
Kerber lost to Pliskova the last time they met, just three weeks ago in the final of a hard-court tournament in Cincinnati.
And that run in Melbourne nearly never happened.
Kerber had won the opening set 6-3. Both matches were against Williams.
I was trying to stay in the moment, Kerber said. “That was a really special match”. Will she be able to handle the pressure is the big question. At age 28, Angelique fulfilled those dreams by winning the US Open Woman’s Title.
“I’m ready to have this pressure on my shoulders”, Kerber said.
She made another final at Wimbledon, playing well but losing the rematch with Williams because, as Kerber put it, “Serena was the better player on this day”. In her defeat against Pliskova however, the energy spent by the American in the match against the Romanian went on to be one of the decisive factors in her defeat, along with injury!
“You can not compare those two (Serena Williams and Kerber)”, explained Pliskova.
Kerber took advantage of Pliskova’s miscues to open the match with a break.
Advertisement
“To be number one and win Grand Slam titles was always my dream ever since I was a little girl”, Kerber said.”It means so much”. And when she fell behind a break early in the third and deciding set at Arthur Ashe Stadium, it seemed as it if she would do just that.
