Kerber's great career ends in the most dramatic way.
The Olympic fairytale of Angelique Kerber is over: The German tennis star ends her illustrious career without the dreamt-of medal, but with an epic match. Kerber loses to Chinese Qinwen Zheng in three incredibly dramatic sets in the Paris heat.
What a heat drama, what a cliffhanger: After an emotional battle in the quarter-finals of the tennis tournament at the Olympic Games, Angelique Kerber bid farewell to her Olympic fairytale and her great tennis career in Paris against Qinwen Zheng from China.
7:6 (7:4), 4:6, 6:7 (6:8) was the final score for Kerber against the world number seven. The German tennis player showed an almost unfathomable display of willpower against the 21-year-old Chinese, who had reached the final of the Australian Open at the beginning of the season and had also won a tournament on clay in Palermo recently. In the end, she even saved three match points after 3 hours and 4 minutes, before she was bid a final farewell from the tennis court to the sound of thunderous applause.
It was another Olympic furnace: Just like the day before, when Kerber had to compete twice in both singles and doubles, the sun was mercilessly beating down in Paris. Temperatures were well above 30 degrees Celsius, and this time it was oppressive heat, with the roof eventually closed due to thunderstorms.
Kerber's lob tactic
And looming above it all was the possible end of her career, as Kerber had announced that she would retire after the Olympics. Before the tournament, no expert or fan had expected anything from the 36-year-old, her odds were among the highest for an Olympic start, indicating a low chance of winning. In the end, the final chapter of her fairytale was as dramatic as anyone could have imagined.
Germany's Davis Cup captain Rainer Schuettler had predicted another surprise victory for Kerber before the quarter-finals. "She feels good, has gained a lot of self-confidence. I believe she has a chance," said the former professional, but also warned about her opponent Zheng. "That's already an incredible story, it's gigantic how she has fought her way through," said Schuettler. How right he was (partly).
Midway through the first set, Kerber adjusted her tactics - with success. To take away Zheng's best shot, the powerful topspin forehand, Kerber opted for slow, high balls, lobs that she hit deep into the court. This untypical Kerber playing style forced Zheng into unnecessary errors time and time again. At the same time, the Kielerin hammered her powerful forehand longline, straight at her opponent for direct points. Her signature shot. Kerber pumped her fist in the air each time. Pushed herself forward. Looked like absolute world class. In the tiebreak, Kerber showed nerves of steel, proving that she could make up for her no longer top-notch shots and fitness with her head, technique, and incredible will to win. The hard-fought first set took 53 minutes. In that time, others have already won entire finals.
Kerber's primal scream and drama
In the next set, Kerber looked increasingly physically exhausted. She lost her seemingly endless service game at 1:1 in the end, also because Zheng increasingly mixed in stop balls that Kerber could run less and less. Although Kerber managed to break back with her lob tactic, she looked flatter from game to game.
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Feeling like her legs were made of lead, her head overheated, and her shots lacking power, Kerber could barely drag herself around the court, sometimes even standing still on the sand, allowing Zheng to deservedly win the set after another break.
In the final set, the drama unfolded. Initially, both professionals had played themselves to a standstill, with no tension in their bodies. Kerber was the first to rally, breaking Zheng 0-0 to lead 3:1. She then won an incredible mental battle with her crazy cross-court shots. With her last ounce of strength, Kerber took a 4:1 lead, but the Chinese player woke up just in time to quickly tie the score at 4:4.
Kerber took a 5:4 lead with a powerful scream. "I can't go on," she said to her coaching team in the next game, and Zheng tied it again. As expected in such a nail-biting match, it went to a tiebreak. There, Kerber saved three match points to keep the drama going. But on the fourth match point, the Chinese player kept her nerves and won against the physically exhausted Kerber.
Impressive Farewell for Kerber
Kerber surprised everyone in the first round, with many expecting her immediate elimination and retirement against Japanese player Naomi Osaka. In the following matches, the German, currently ranked 212th in the WTA rankings, was the underdog but fought her way through. "I wouldn't have thought a week ago that everything would turn out like this. I couldn't have imagined it better," Kerber said after her round of 16 match against former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez.
In Paris, Kerber played almost like in her prime. This was partly due to the fact that, after announcing her retirement after the Olympics, she could play freely. It was her first tournament after an 18-month break and her comeback at the end of last year. After the birth of her daughter, she wanted to prove herself again, perhaps too early. Almost always, she was eliminated in the first round after her comeback. "After the decision, I really felt relieved," Kerber said in Paris. "And I have the feeling that I'm actually a bit more relaxed. I can leave everything here because I have a longer vacation ahead and can then recover."
Kerber's best times are already a thing of the past. Her first Grand Slam victory was in 2016 in Melbourne, where she celebrated by jumping into the Yarra River. In the same year, she won the silver medal at the Olympics in Rio and then the US Open. It was her best year as a professional, and in September, she became the first German after Steffi Graf to reach the top of the world rankings. In 2018, she triumphed in the Wimbledon final over Serena Williams and often said that this was her greatest success. However, it never really worked out on clay for her. The French Open was usually not a successful stage for her. But at the Olympics, she finally managed to make peace with the clay.
The day before, Kerber had already had to deal with the end of her doubles career. Together with Laura Siegemund, she played her last professional match with a partner by her side in a clear defeat against Great Britain. Now, the best German player since Steffi Graf and the most popular German tennis player of recent years has also ended her singles career in an impressive manner.
Despite the scorching heat during the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, Kerber gave her all and showcased an impressive comeback, outperforming expectations in the singles tournament.
In a remarkable turn of events, Angelique Kerber defied retirement rumors and finished her Olympic career with a performance worthy of the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, leaving an indelible mark on tennis history.
