"I left my heart on court" - Kerber following dramatic victory at Roland Garros

WTA
Tuesday, 24 May 2022 at 14:10
Updated at Monday, 14 October 2024 at 20:15
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Angelique Kerber has explained how mental resilience and crowd support helped her to roar back from a set down to defeat Magdalena Frech in a thrilling 2022 Roland Garros first-round match.

At 2-6 down after the first set, a potential Kerber comeback appeared unlikely against Frech at the Roland Garros. However, the experienced German composed herself for the second set and hit back 6-3 before edging a tense 7-5 third-set decider.

Kerber had to show plenty of grit and determination during the hard-fought contest against Frech, including recovering from match points whilst 4-5 down in the third set.

But, the three-time Grand Slam champion revealed her inner strength to win the final three games and progress to the second round. Post-match, Kerber spoke openly about her comeback win over Frech and said that her success was largely based on finding some psychological motivation to get over the line.

In addition, the veteran player outlined how the passionate Roland Garros crowd also played a part in a momentous first-round triumph.

"I think there is no secret, I just put everything I had today on court. I left my heart on court. To have the crowd like this here, it's unbelievable. Especially in the third set, they pushed me through."
"To have all the support as all the fans with you, celebrating every single ball. ... I was just trying as well to enjoy this, because it was such a great moment on court with the fans. I was just trying to believe in myself, taking the confidence that I got from Strasbourg. I know that I can turn around matches with match point down, and I was just trying to play point by point and run for every ball."

Ultimately, Kerber will hope that this victory provides a springboard to an improved performance at the French Open. The German player has won three out of the four WTA Grand Slams during her career, but the Roland Garros title has eluded her so far.

But, after crashing out in the first round in her previous three appearances at the clay-court Grand Slam, Kerber will aim to use motivation from a stirring comeback victory to launch into Roland Garros contention.

Moreover, the 2018 Wimbledon winner has already shown her quality on clay this season following her title win in Strasbourg, which came after a three-set final triumph over her Slovenian opponent, Kaja Juvan.

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