"I'll definitely be back" - Angelique Kerber confirms her intentions to return to the WTA Tour post-childbirth
Angelique Kerber has been out of the professional tour since the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, where she lost in the third round to Belgian Elise Mertens. She recently announced that she would miss the ongoing US Open in New York as she was pregnant with her first child.
In a recent interview with Eurosport, the German further delighted fans by declaring that she would most certainly return to the tour after giving birth to her first child. Noting that she is not done with the sport yet, Kerber added that she would "definitely" be back in action as soon as possible following childbirth.
Fans expect her not to play on the WTA tour for quite some time and perhaps make a comeback in the early stages of the 2023 season. A former World No. 1, Kerber has now slipped to World No. 50 in the rankings this year, and has a 13/11 win-loss on the WTA Tour in 2022 so far, including a title run at Strasbourg.
@AngeliqueKerberAngie Kerber says she's, "Definitely coming back," to the tour after she gives birth. twitter.com/Eurosport_DE/s…
"For the next months, I will take a break from travelling the globe as a tennis player but then again, I believe it’s for the best possible reason" - Angelique Kerber
Former World No. 1 Angelique Kerber took to her social media to announce her withdrawal from the 2022 US Open ahead of the tournament. While many expected that it would be due to an undisclosed injury, she revealed that her withdrawal was for the best possible reason and broke the news that she is expecting her first child in a rather cheeky way.
“I really wanted to play the US Open but eventually I decided that two against one just isn’t a fair competition. For the next months, I will take a break from traveling the globe as a tennis player but then again, I believe it’s for the best possible reason. I will miss all of you," said Angelique Kerber.
She continued by mentioning that New York has always been special for her and a turning point in her professional career as she achieved a lot of major milestones at Flushing Meadows.
“New York has often been a turning point in my career and it feels like this year will be no different in some way,” Kerber continued. “From restarting my career in 2011 to winning the title in 2016 and becoming No 1 in the world. The US Open has a special place in my heart, and I wish I could have said goodbye to all of you on court before not being around on tour for a while," she added.
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I really wanted to play the @usopen but eventually I decided that two against one just isn‘t a fair competition 👼🫶🏻🍼❤️ https://t.co/Y6rRYOIUDR