Former women’s tennis number one and three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber has called her upcoming return to the court after maternity leave “the biggest challenge of my career”.
The 35-year-old German gave birth in February and plans to return for the start of the new season. She will play for the national team in the second edition of the 9.47-million-dollar United Cup tournament in Australia from December 29 to January 7.
“I can already feel the impatience to be back on the court in Australia soon. I realize that this will probably be the biggest challenge of my career, but it also motivates me”, said Angelique Kerber. “The love of tennis is something that has always motivated me. That’s what motivates me, nothing has changed. And also the reason why I want to come back – to have that feeling of being on the court again, with everyone emotions and fans”, added she.
Angelique Kerber hasn’t played since the Summer of 2022 and admitted she won’t be trying to hit the ground running right away.
“Of course I have to be realistic and give myself time to come back after this long break without matches. A lot of things will certainly be different when I come back, not least because of my role as a mother, but I want to try everything and to take on this challenge”, commented the German tennis player.
Angelique Kerber has identified the Australian Open in January, where she won her first Grand Slam title in 2016, as her first target. It will be followed by a busy summer, including Wimbledon and the Paris 2024 Olympics. She became the Wimbledon champion in 2018 and took silver at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Angelique Kerber said training was going according to plan but “cannot be compared to matches in competitive conditions”.
“I’m still at the beginning with my staff. We still have a little time left. I think I’ll be ready for the first matches when we fly to Australia after Christmas”, concluded the German tennis player.
