Kerber indulges in a swim following a rain interruption at the French Open.

Free passage in the initial round

2024 May 29 . 7:47 AM

2 min read

Für Kerber sind die French Open schon beendet.

Kerber indulges in a swim following a rain interruption at the French Open.

At the French Open, German tennis players have been enduring one letdown after another. Most recently, Angelique Kerber suffered a loss in her opening match against Arantxa Rus. Kerber struggled with a lack of intensity and bravery, making too many errors in the process.

Angelique Kerber exited the French Open in the first round in Paris. Her first match, postponed due to rain until the afternoon, saw her lose on the small Court 2 to the Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus 4:6, 3:6. The three-time Grand Slam winner, who reached the quarterfinals at the French Open in 2012 and 2018, struggled to find a consistent groove, played inconsistently and commit numerous mistakes against the world number 50. After 1 hour and 15 minutes, Rus pounced on the third match point.

The 36-year-old missed the second round at her second Grand Slam tournament since taking a parental leave. She was set to face a top clash against Elena Rybakina, the current world number four from Kazakhstan, who breezed past Belgian outsider Greet Minnen with a convincing 6:2, 6:3 win.

Kerber was eager to move on from her disappointment. "I'm now looking forward and excited about grass," she said. Tennis legend Boris Becker echoed this sentiment, saying, "But Kerber shouldn't be disheartened because grass will definitely come." In July at the Wimbledon grass-court classic, Kerber, who returned to the tour after her parental leave at the start of the year, hopes to regain her peak form. She will play in Berlin and Bad Homburg ahead of that.

"Handbrake in the arm" remains untreated

The rain interruptions repeatedly delayed match starts on roofless courts. Kerber's match against the 33-year-old Rus, who captured the WTA tournament in Hamburg the previous year, was moved to Court 2 and commenced around 4:30 pm.

Kerber was too cautious on the sand court she dislikes. As former national coach Barbara Rittner remarked on Eurosport during the first set, "She needs to get the handbrake out of her arm." Her young opponent's dynamism and power rarely faced opposition from Kerber. Down 1:4, Kerber managed to level the score, only to lose the first set on her own serve after 44 minutes.

The second set saw Kerber immediately drop a break, even the score, only to make avoidable errors during extended rallies. Rus, however, had an evident edge in successful shots. Becoming a part of the string of German defeats were Tatjana Maria, Laura Siegemund, Eva Lys, and Jule Niemeier, all of whom fell in the first round prior to her.