Angelique Kerber is expecting her first child and canceled her participation in the US Open. A career end is not yet in sight.
Angelique Kerber beamed all over her face when she revealed her sweet secret. The three-time Grand Slam winner and long-standing German number one is pregnant and is now taking a baby break. “I really wanted to compete in the US Open, but ultimately decided that two against one is not a fair competition,” the 34-year-old wrote on Instagram, adding a baby bottle and hearts.
Five days before the start of the Grand Slam tournament in New York, Kerber surprised the tennis world with her personal luck and announced that she would no longer travel the world as a tennis player for the “best possible reason”. The former world number ones Ana Ivanovic, wife of Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Kim Clijsters, like model Lena Gercke, were among the first of many well-wishers.
Previously, her management had dem SID a corresponding report Bild– Newspaper confirmed. As a result, the baby should be born in spring 2023, Kerber is in a relationship with entrepreneur Franco Bianco.
The personal change should not be the end of her glittering career. “It means everything to me to be a professional athlete, but I’m grateful for the new path I’m taking now,” said Kerber, who apparently dreams of playing the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 as the grand finale: “To be honest I’m nervous and excited at the same time.”
Angie Kerber: Not the first German tennis mom on the WTA tour
The former world number one will be the next tennis mom on the tour, there are prominent athletes who successfully master the difficult balancing act between career and child. The best example is Tatjana Maria, who became a mother for the second time in April 2021 and caused a sensation this summer with her semi-finals in Wimbledon. But there is always criticism of the rules of the WTA, which, according to the professionals concerned, do not adequately protect against slipping down the world rankings.
Maria is clear that mothers need more help in the tennis circus and stresses the challenge of the dual role. Icon Serena Williams, who has a daughter and is set to make the last appearance of her great career at the US Open, said she was often drained and stressed. The now 40-year-old has not been able to win the long-awaited 24th Grand Slam title since her return in 2018. In addition to Kerber, the Ukrainian Elina Switolina is currently pregnant as another prominent actor.
With a view to Germany’s chances at the US Open, which begins next Monday, Kerber’s cancellation is another sporting setback, with the top players missing for both women and men. For Alexander Zverev, the tournament comes too early after his serious ankle injury. He announced that he wanted to watch the matches from afar.
Kerber should now do the same, which after 51 Grand Slam participations in a row cannot compete. “I would have liked to say goodbye to you all on the court before I’m off the tour for a while,” she wrote. The best reason keeps them from it.
