New York: With a third Grand Slam final of the year on the horizon, Angelique Kerber couldn’t afford to lose her focus despite realising her once only dreamed-of rise to world number one. She couldn’t help but keep one eye on Karolina Pliskova’s stunning victory over Serena Williams — which assured Kerber would gain the ranking she’s been inching toward for weeks.
But the 28-year-old German knew she couldn’t afford to celebrate just yet. “I watched especially the last few points. It was not so easy to go then on court, because I knew it actually before that if Serena lost, of course, that I will be the number one,” she said, adding, “To be the number one in the world, that was always a dream for me. I was trying not to think about it too much the last few weeks.”
Kerber’s spent much of the year learning to manage success. After finishing 2015 ranked 10th in the world, with only one Grand Slam semifinal appearance behind her, she shocked Serena in the Australian Open final. A period of adjustment followed, with opening match defeats in Madrid, Rome and Paris but she was back in the championship match again at Wimbledon, where Serena avenged her Melbourne defeat.
