Angelique Kerber has spent more weeks on the top of women’s tennis than Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova combined – longer, in fact, than all but 11 players in history. But now, more than ever perhaps, the crown sits precariously on her head.
That much was obvious watching the No1 seed stumble past Irina Falconi, a qualifier from the US who has never won a match in five attempts at Wimbledon and is ranked 247 in the world.
On the face of it a 6-4, 6-4 victory in 87 minutes might not sound like it gives much cause for concern. But this was not the Kerber of last year, slugging out the final with Serena Williams in a minor classic before gracefully accepting the runners-up trophy. Instead she spent much of the match groping for her range and rhythm. The good news is that she still has time to find it, but a second-round match against Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens, who reached the semi-finals in 2013, looms.
“I think it will be another tough match,” Kerber said. “But I’m on my way to recapturing my form.”
Wimbledon tradition dictates that the defending singles champion begins the defence of her title on the first Tuesday. However with Williams expecting a first child, it was Kerber who was given the honour. The German has had a fitful year, and lost in the first round in Paris, but initially she played as if she had never been away from SW19 as she broke serve twice to go 3-0 up in the first set.
Yet suddenly and strangely, her forehands kept finding the net or going long. That gave Falconi confidence. She had already showed she had a lovely touch – a feathered volley to save a break point in the third game was rapturously applauded – but now she was winning games, too. The American broke back and kept it close throughout the rest of the first set before going down 6-4 in 48 minutes – but it was telling that Kerber had hit only eight winners to 13 unforced errors.
The second set was also close but with it poised at 4-4, Falconi threw away her service game and Kerber needed no second invitation to wrap up the match.
Afterwards she admitted that the pressure of being No1 for 33 weeks had not always been easy, but insisted her form is gradually returning.
“There is much more expectation, much more pressure, from me, from outside, from everything,” Kerber said. “You have much more things also to do. You have to learn. You have to get through all the things. In the last few months, I’ve had a few up and downs. But there’s also a lot of things that I’ve learned from.
“Right now I am trying to make things not too complicated again and I’m feeling good,” she added. “I have been practising good in the last few weeks since Paris. I will try to go out there on Thursday, find my rhythm, and enjoy playing on grass. This is what I love.”
She knows, however, that she has 1300 ranking points to defend at Wimbledon. So unless she makes the latter stages she is likely to lose the top spot to the Czech player Karolina Pliskova or the Romanian Simona Halep. On this evidence, at least, the clock is ticking loudly.
If all goes to plan for Karolina Pliskova this Wimbledon, she could claim her first grand slam title and become the world’s No1 player along the way. Certainly how she played against the Russian Evgeniya Rodina, particularly in the first set when the No3 seed hit an astonishing 23 winners, suggests she deserves to be the bookies’ favourite. If anything her 6-1, 6-4 win underplayed her dominance.
“I know there’s a thing about becoming world No1 but I just don’t want to be focusing on this,” she said. “For me it’s just important to win the matches. I’m happy I passed the first round and I’m focusing on the next one.”
The 25-year-old has never made it past the second round in five appearances at Wimbledon but is full of confidence having won at Eastbourne last Saturday. However, she knows that her next opponent, Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist in doubles, will be a hard test.
“It’s the toughest draw in the second round so far for me on the grand slams,” Pliskova said. “On grass I think she can be dangerous with her game. She can play a lot of slices, drop shots, serving well, also good at the net. I’m expecting a tough match, definitely.”
The No24 seed, Coco Vandeweghe, also advertised her credentials with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over the dangerous German, Mona Barthel. Vandeweghe, who reached the quarter-finals in 2015, praised her coach, Pat Cash, and said she hoped to emulate his 1987 victory at the All England Club. “He’s getting me to focus on coming forward and definitely putting my presence out there. It is the 30-year anniversary for Pat so I hope there is some magic that rubs off on to me.”
The No10 seed, Agnieszka Radwanska, was also impressive in holding off Jelena Jankovic 7-6 (3), 6-0 but quickly downplayed her chances of going far in the tournament. The 2012 finalist admitted she had not fully recovered from a foot injury that interrupted her clay court season and a virus after the French Open, and suggested she would be lucky to get to the last 16.
“I shouldn’t expect that much from myself, and I’m getting tight and nervous,” said Radwanska. “I didn’t really do much the last few weeks, just played a couple of practices and I’m here. But when you go on court, adrenaline and everything, and you kind of forget about that. Maybe I can play a couple of good matches.” The No5 seed, Caroline Wozniacki, had a tougher than unexpected struggle before getting past Timea Babos 6-4, 4-6, 1-6 in match which took place on Centre Court after the two injury retirements in the men’s singles left a slot to be filled for the crowd.
There was no joy for Sloane Stephens as she went down 6-2, 7-5 to her compatriot Alison Riske in her first match since the Rio Olympics. Stephens, who had to wear a boot for 15 weeks after suffering a stress fracture to her navicular bone in a foot, said she hopes it will not be long before she is climbing the rankings. “Obviously I have been practicsing and playing practice sets and matches, but it’s totally different when you get into a match situation.”
