"She was a class act" - Chris Evert sends her heartfelt greetings to Angelique Kerber as German retires with final hurrah at Paris Olympics
Chris Evert has reacted to the news of Angelique Kerber retiring from tennis. She complimented Kerber’s gameplay and said she will miss the 36-year-old as she bows out of the sport.
Kerber’s 21-year career came to an end after an over three-hour clash with China's Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinal of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Zheng outclassed the German 6-7, 6-4, 7-6(6).
Following the match, 18-time Grand Slam winner Chris Evert made a post on her X account applauding the 36-year-old. She stated that Kerber was a class act and praised her game and fighting spirit.
“I will miss her. She was a class act, respectful and gracious to everyone in the tennis world. I loved her game and fight as well…Come back and visit us!” Evert tweeted.
The 2024 Paris Olympics was the third time Kerber represented Germany at the Olympic Games. At the London 2012 Olympics, she was knocked out in the quarterfinals. In the Rio 2016 Olympics, she took home silver after being defeated by Puerto Rico's Monica Puig in the final. Kerber did not participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to fatigue.
Angelique Kerber on retiring at the Olympic games - “I cannot stop better than here”
Following Angelique Kerber’s elimination from the Olympic Games on Wednesday, she expressed her sense of fulfillment in choosing to retire at the tournament, particularly in front of the Philippe-Chatrier arena crowd, while speaking to the press.
"I cannot stop better than here, playing for your country, playing on Chatrier, such a great crowd and I just tried my best. I tried everything I could," she said. "I had good tournaments but of course I also had tough first rounds and it was not easy to find the rhythm” Kerber said. (via France24)
Kerber added that it was the biggest success of her career and that she would miss the fans, as well as touring around the world.
"But at the end, for me, it was always important to enjoy it, to come here to feel the atmosphere, the fans and seeing that I can play at a high level again.This is for me personally I think the biggest success I had.
"Having a match like this as my last match, showing also that I never give up and I tried everything until the end means a lot. I will miss the fans, the emotions, the competition for sure and travelling around the world," she said.
On the way to the quarterfinal against Zheng Qinwen, Kerber defeated Naomi Osaka, Jaqueline Cristian, and Leylah Fernandez.