5 reasons why Angelique Kerber triumphed at the Australian Open 2016

Angelie Kerber with her maiden Grand Slam titleWhat is the power of self-belief? Pose this question to the latest Australian Open Champion Angelique Kerber and she will offer to become your ÂÂBelief CoachÂÂ. Does a Belief Coach exist? If not, she just opened doors to a new career this day.Stepping onto the Rod Laver Arena to play her first ever Grand Slam Final, the 28-year old  Kerber knew she was in for an uphill task of battling a 21 time Grand Slam Champion Serena Williams. Williams, on the verge of equaling Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slams, appeared as focused and prepared as in her previous 6 matches in the run up to the Finale. Not having dropped a set enroute the Finale, Williams had a 6-0 record in the Finals and was seeking her 7th Australian Open title.Kerber, who had defeated Williams just once in their previous meetings, had mentioned in the press conferences that she was driven by immense self-belief and would play like she had nothing to lose in the final. But making a statement is one thing and proving it right is another. In a nerve wracking final that lasted a little over 2 hours, the German tapped into every ounce of her grit, determination and repertoire to pull off the huge upset.

#1 Serena Williams was bad tactically

Williams in a pensive mood after losing the first set

Was it the left knee that bothered Williams, though it never showed throughout the match? Or was it Patrick Moratouglou’s game plan for her?

The American was rushing the net on almost every other point and trying to cut down on rallies. With less than 50% success rate at the net, Williams stuck to the same plan for the entire match and did nothing different to stop the bleeding. Her volleys either sailed wide or just caught the net. No amount of self berating and “Come Ons” could get the World No.1 going. Williams went on to pile on a mammoth 46 unforced errors, one short of the number of winners.