STUTTGART/WASHINGTON, April 10, 2024 (by Michael Dickens)
When the 47th edition of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix begins next week in Stuttgart, it will be the first tournament in Germany for Angelique Kerber since giving birth to her daughter Liana last year.
The Porsche Brand Ambassador received a wild card into this year’s event at Porsche Arena, which is the traditional start to the WTA Tour’s spring European clay season. Kerber, who won titles in 2015 and 2016, has many wonderful memories of playing in Stuttgart.
In a recent interview with Porsche Newsroom, Kerber said she looks forward to the spectators and what she described as a fantastic atmosphere inside Porsche Arena, the longtime home of the WTA 500-series event.
In an interview with Porsche Newsroom, Porsche Brand Ambassador @AngeliqueKerber talked about her comeback, the challenges of being a mother on the tennis tour and the anticipation ahead of her return to the Porsche Arena for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. pic.twitter.com/TcdMQkOJYc
— Porsche Tennis (@PorscheTennis) April 8, 2024
“The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix has a quite special flair,” Kerber said. “It’s something I missed a lot last year. I have lots of wonderful memories of the tournament and am looking forward to playing my best tennis in front of the fantastic spectators in the Porsche Arena.”
Kerber, 36, who is currently ranked No. 333 after reaching No. 1 in 2016, has gone 4-8 since returning to the WTA Tour in January. She went 1-5 representing champion Germany at the United Cup, defeating Ajla Tomljanovic in the semifinals. Then, she lost in the opening rounds of the Australian Open (to Danielle Collins) and at Linz (to Lucia Bronzetti). Last month, Kerber won three straight matches at Indian Wells (over Petra Martic, Jelena Ostapenko and Veronika Kudermetova) before losing to fellow mom Caroline Wozniacki in the round of 16. Most recently, Kerber fell in the first round of the Miami Open to Sloane Stephens.
“I don’t put myself under pressure anymore,” Kerber said. “I love tennis. My heart is in the game. I love the feeling of standing on court and taking in the fans’ emotions. It gives me strength, which is why I’ve come back. But what people expect of me no longer interests me. Those times are over. I knew I needed a few matches. In Indian Wells, I saw that things were going in the right direction. It gave me direction and made me optimistic about the future. …
“Patience isn’t really one of my strengths,” Kerber added. “I knew it would take a bit of time before I started playing well and getting back to my former level. I still love tennis, but I’m first and foremost a mother with my whole heart, and it’s a joy. There’s now a little person in my life that’s more important than tennis. It makes it easier to be patient.”
Welcome back, @AngeliqueKerber ❤️#AusOpen • #AO2024 pic.twitter.com/90SJuheErw
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 10, 2024
This year, Kerber received a main draw wild card along with fellow Germans Laura Siegemund and Tatjana Maria and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu. Asked to describe how important the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is to her and what she’s missed most about it, Kerber admits the week in Stuttgart, the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, is always one of the year’s most important to her.
“Above all, I missed the feeling of standing out there on Court in the full Porsche Arena and soaking up the super atmosphere,” she said. “I watched the tournament on television but it’s obviously no substitute. The fact that I like the tournament so much is naturally also down to my long-time partner Porsche, which has always stood by me, no matter how things are going on court. It’s a great partnership.”
This year’s Porsche Tennis Grand Prix includes nine Top 10 players – headed by current World No. 1 and two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland – and Kerber is one of nine past Grand Slam winners. Kerber was asked what players like so much about coming to play at Stuttgart. She replied: “It’s not for nothing that the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix has been voted so often as their favorite tournament. They simply feel at home in Stuttgart and find conditions in which they can perform at their best. It’s the most important thing for them.
“The organization is perfect. The tournament also offers a good opportunity at the start of the clay court season to prepare for the French Open. A very special motivation is also the Porsche that’s at stake for the winner. The sports car lures many players to Stuttgart.”
9️⃣ of the top 10 players and 14 players of the top 20 will be competing at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2024. Porsch Friend @iga_swiatek, @SabalenkaA and @CocoGauff will be represented in the Porsche Arena, as well as Porsche Brand Ambassadors @AngeliqueKerber and @EmmaRaducanu! pic.twitter.com/0Y9u5luQbk
— Porsche Tennis (@PorscheTennis) March 21, 2024
