Indian Wells – Athletically, Angelique Kerber knows what to expect after her first win in this tennis year – emotionally, however, she can’t really assess it before the duel with Russian Daria Kasatkina.
“I try to switch it off on the court, which is not so easy. My grandparents are from Poland, I live in Poland too, it’s all very close,” the 34-year-old told Deutsche Presse-Agentur after her hard-earned win over China’s Qinwen Zheng.
The Russian-inspired war in Poland’s neighbour Ukraine is on Kerber’s mind. “It’s all really unbelievably crazy what’s going on in the world right now. I really hope that we just get peace. After Corona now this crazy thing that’s happening – insane,” she said. “Of course everybody is talking about it and you check the news every hour what’s happening – so I especially because we are close to it and it’s not such a nice feeling. “
As an opponent, Kerber knows Kasatkina from last autumn when she also won over three sets against her in Indian Wells. “It’s always very tricky to play against her. She plays very variable. I have to keep up and dictate myself. I know what to expect,” said the Kiel player.
However, the former world number one was not aware that she had won her first match of the year under the floodlights in the California desert. Her victory over Kasatkina in October was followed by another in the round of 16 – since then there has been no more success. In December, Kerber contracted Corona, and in Australia and Doha she was knocked out of the tournament after the first match.
In Indian Wells, she had a walk-through in the first round as the 15th seed. “I feel good, but of course I needed the weeks and days to get fit again,” Kerber reported. “Everything that you actually do in the offseason, I’ve been trying to catch up now after Australia and in that time. It’s going to take time.” Therefore, she could not expect herself to play her best tennis right away.
That was evident in the duel with Zheng – Kerber gave away the second set against the 19-year-old, and in the third she was already two breaks behind. “In the end I was just trying to come back,” she said. “Now I have a match here and I always like to play my way into the tournament. That’s why I hope the next one will be a little bit better from my side.”
The Masters in the Californian desert is one of the most important tournaments on the WTA Tour. The hard-court event is endowed with 8 584 055 US dollars. Kerber reached the final in 2019, losing in the quarter-finals to eventual winner Paula Badosa of Spain at last year’s edition, which was moved to the autumn due to Corona.
