London – French Open contender Alexander Zverev began the path to a much-coveted first Grand Slam title with an unchallenged opening victory, while Angelique Kerber suffered the first bitter disappointment of her Wimbledon comeback . Although the Olympic tennis champion easily prevailed 6:2, 6:4, 6:2 against the Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena, the grass classic is over for Kerber.
When she returned as a mother to the site of her big victory in 2018, the former Wimbledon winner was defeated by Kazakh Yulia Putintseva 5:7, 3:6. “Of course I’m disappointed. “It wasn’t the result I wanted,” said the 36-year-old: “It just wasn’t my day.”
For the former world number one, the faint hope that the London lawn could be the turnaround for her terrible Grand Slam record of one win this year has not been fulfilled. The Australian Open and French Open also finished in the open.
Kerber with a false start and no self-confidence
“I could have played better – for sure,” Kerber said. She said self-critically: “I barely got into my rhythm at all. Of course, if you make so many easy mistakes in the crucial moments, that doesn’t help.”
Kerber had a bad start against the unpopular opponent Putinzewa and was 3-0 behind. The left-hander acknowledged her performance several times by shaking her head, but she continued to play. All in all, the Kiel native’s lack of self-confidence was evident. She made some inexplicable mistakes and her opponent scored points much more directly. After 78 minutes, Kerber was disappointed and had to pack her bag.
On the other hand, Zverev was in a good mood. After Jan-Lennard Struff and Daniel Altmaier, the Hamburger is the third German in the men’s competition who has a chance of making it to round three.
Condolences from a nephew after the victory in Paris
“I’m happy with how I started the tournament,” Zverev said. He calmed down and talked about how his little nephew wanted to challenge him after losing the French Open final in Paris saying he wanted to win a Grand Slam title in the next generation of Zverev. Of course, that is the big goal of the fourth place in the world ranking.
For the first time, Zverev feels like a title contender at Wimbledon. He revealed that he decided early in his career that he hated grass. Now he decided to love the game on grass. And he has the feeling that if someone has two great weeks, they can achieve a lot on these beautiful courts. “And I hope it’s me,” said the 27-year-old.
He feels better on the grass this year and he hopes to be able to show that in the upcoming games. His first opponent, Marcos Giron from the USA, will be a tougher test.
Siegemund improves Germany’s balance sheet
For the women, like Kerber, Tatjana Maria’s special Wimbledon sensation is history again two years after she reached the semi-finals. Jule Niemeier’s match was postponed due to rain.
Laura Siegemund single-handedly broke the women’s previous terrible record when she entered the second round. The Swabian did not let two rain breaks stop her and won 6:4, 6:1 against Kateryna Baindl from Ukraine. The Metzinger took the bad weather quite calmly. “It’s quite normal here to have a break in the rain. If that puts you off, you’re in the wrong place,” said the doubles specialist.
In the fight for a place in the third round, the Metzinger has a much more difficult task against the winner of Wimbledon 2022, Jelena Rybakina from Kazakhstan. “There is no such tactic against people like that. It’s about despite the huge pressure that comes with the serve and the return,” said Siegemund: “I have nothing to lose – especially on grass. “
Olympic doubles Kerber / Siegemund
After her victory, Siegemund announced that she would compete with Kerber at the Olympics. “I talked to Angie on the phone and she said she wants to play with me,” Metzinger (36) said. “She wants to play doubles when she has the chance to win a medal and when she can really do something. And then that was the best option for me.” Kerber’s next big goal this summer is the Olympics. But she has to switch back to the clay court, which she doesn’t like that much.