A lot has happened in the space of twelve months for Angelique Kerber. She was a consistent Top 10 player but often failed to transfer her best tennis on the biggest of stages. Success has not always been a constant for the German left-hander, as a disappointing start to the beginning of the 2015 season prompted Kerber to look for a different voice and a different coach.
Change Of Coach, Change Of Fortune For Angelique Kerber
Kerber’s drop in form led to the parting of ways with coach Benjamin Ebrahimzadeh in the early stages of 2015. Not long after, she was reunited with former coach Torben Beltz, a match that would prove profitable on the biggest of stages in months to come. On reflection, reappointing the man that originally guided Angelique Kerber to the Top 10 in the first place was the best move of her career up to this point.
In Charleston 2015 on the green clay, Angelique Kerber lifted her biggest trophy to date as she linked up with Torben Beltz again. Before the big title success in Charleston, Kerber had finished the losing finalist in 8 of her 9 tournaments between 2012 and 2014, a trend that she would change dramatically in recent years. The World No. 4 found welcome success in Stuttgart, Birmingham and Stanford, successfully winning titles on all 4 surfaces inside the one season (green clay, red clay, grass and hard courts). Of course, her biggest triumph was in Australia earlier this year, coming out on top in Melbourne for her first Grand Slam title.
Positive Outlook
Kerber talked with a lot of positivity in her pre-tournament press conference: “I have a lot of memories from last year and now that I’m here again it’s coming back. It feels good starting here my grass court season.”
“Very special,” Kerber continued. “I mean, what’s happened in the last few months has been amazing. I won my first Grand Slam in Australia. I won Stuttgart where I defended my title and I will try and do it here.” Kerber was notably enthusiastic about her title defense here in Birmingham.
The nine-time WTA title winner also reiterated that the shoulder injury she was struggling with in Paris is now completely healed. “After Paris I took a few days rest and I went to some doctors and I also had a lot of treatments for my shoulder. Right now I am feeling good again.”
Angelique Kerber will begin the defense of her Birmingham title against Peng Shuai of China in the first round.
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