MELBOURNE, January 15, 2017

Defending Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber announced Saturday that she is going to skip Germany’s upcoming first round Fed Cup tie against the United States, which will be played from 11 to 12 February, the weekend following the conclusion in Melbourne, at the Royal Lahaina Resort in Maui, Hawaii.

“I had a long talk with (German Fed Cup captain) Barbara Rittner and the decision was very, very tough for me, but I won’t play the Fed Cup tie in Hawaii,” Kerber told German reporters. “It is too difficult with the schedule, because I’m playing Doha and Dubai after Melbourne. So I think the Americans made a smart decision by choosing Hawaii as their venue. Because, therefore, I’m not able to come.”

The World No. 1 will open her Australian Open campaign on Monday night against Lesia Tsurenko, a 27-year-old Ukrainian who achieved her best ranking of World No.33 in October 2015. Kerber defeated Tsurenko, now ranked No.61, in their only previous meeting at Sydney in 2015.

Kerber Pre-Tournament Press Conference