Advertisement

Germans celebrate first Wimbledon victory in over 20 years

The Local Germany
The Local Germany - [email protected]
Germans celebrate first Wimbledon victory in over 20 years
Angelique Kerber kissing her first Wimbledon trophy. Photo:DPA

German sports fans still moping over their team's shock defeat at the World Cup were cheered up this weekend as Angelique Kerber became the first German to win Wimbledon in 22 years.

Advertisement

Saturday's women's final was the first time a German won the English tennis tournament since Steffi Graf's victory in 1996.

Kerber managed to deny Wimbledon royalty, Serena Williams, her dream of storming back to win the tournament just months after giving birth.

This year's tournament has been momentous for Kiel native Kerber, who has remained at the top of her game for the past few years.

In 2016 she won the Australian Open, US Open and secured a silver-medal in the Rio Olympics, but she was yet to get her hands on the Wimbledon trophy until this weekend.

For many Germans, Kerber has reignited their national sporting pride after Germany’s shock exit from the World Cup during the group stages.

German press praised Kerber's display of focus, precision and stamina in the final against Williams, never letting her eye off the ball and fighting until the last minute.

Kerber's ability to concentrate on the here and now reportedly comes from years of mental training, something which perhaps the German football team could take note of.

This tournament marked the first time in decades that tennis took centre stage in Germany. In a rare move, public broadcaster Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) bought the rights to broadcast the women's final live from Wimbledon.

“Whatever comes now is naturally a bonus," Kerber told the Bild newspaper on Monday.

But the 30-year-old is definitely not thinking of hanging up her racket any time soon, “stopping is far, far away.”

And as the first German Wimbledon winner this millennium, the nation is expecting great things from Kerber in the future.

At the Champion’s Dinner on Sunday crowds watched on as Kerber twirled on stage in a dazzling red dress with male champion Novak Djokovic.

“This here," Kerber said, “is one of the most special evenings of my career. I still can’t believe it, I definitely need a couple more days.”

When asked what comes next, Kerber answered “the next one," her eyes firmly on that next victory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also