Kerber faces Osaka in last hurrah
Angelique Kerber will finish her career by representing Germany in the Olympic tennis event, and her goal in Paris is to have the best tournament she can.
“I think the expectations are to have a good tournament, to put everything on court that I have,” said the Rio 2016 silver medallist. “Playing good tennis again, see how far I can get at the Olympics this year.”
How far Kerber gets in her last event will depend partly on how she fares against Naomi Osaka, who was revealed as her first-round opponent at Thursday’s draw. Their match-up will be a battle between two of the eight Grand Slam champions in the women’s singles draw at Paris 2024.
Kerber is also competing in the women’s doubles with Laura Siegemund, and they will play Brits Katie Boulter and Heather Watson in the opening round.
Kerber, 36, returned from maternity leave in January after giving birth to her daughter last year, but decided ahead of Paris 2024 to call it a day after what will be her third Olympics, having debuted at London 2012 but missed Tokyo.
“It feels good. Of course, it is one of the toughest decisions I made but I will try to enjoy it as much as I can. I’m really proud to be part of the team (in Paris). I’m really looking forward to it.”
“It was always a dream when I was a kid to win a medal. When I won silver at Rio 2016 it was a dream come true for sure. To travel back with a medal feels good. To have it on my back in my career that I can always say that I won a medal, it means a lot.”
At Rio 2016, Kerber lost in the gold medal match to an inspired Monica Puig over three sets, Puig becoming the first Puerto Rican to win a gold medal in any sport.
The German had the best year of her career in 2016, winning two of her three Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and the US Open, and finishing the year as world No. 1. She went on to claim the Wimbledon title in 2018.
Looking ahead to her first round match at Paris 2024, Kerber said, “It’s a tough match. I think it will be a good and interesting match, but I’m ready for that. I prepared as good as I can. I’m really looking forward to playing against her.”