Kerber’s still getting used to being top of the tennis world

SINGAPORE — Angelique Kerber has been the surprise package on the women’s tour this season, first sending then-world No 1 Serena Williams packing in the Australian Open final, before winning the US Open, her second Grand Slam, and usurping Williams’s No 1 spot after her victory in New York.

The climb to the top has been a long journey for the 28-year-old German, who notched a few records on her way to the top spot. She is the oldest woman to make her debut in No 1, the first German since Steffi Graf to achieve it, and only the second woman after Li Na to win her first two Grand Slam titles after 28.

She will also finish 2016 as the year-end No 1, after William’s decision to skip this week’s BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore due to injury.

Bearing the tag of the world’s best female player certainly sits well with Kerber, who looked fit and fresh at the #CreateYourCourt Singapore event by adidas alongside Garbine Muguruza and Simona Halep yesterday at Far East Square.

The German is enjoying her time at the top, as she told TODAY: “Ending the year as world No 1 is good because that was the goal for me and I reached it. This has been one of the best years for me.

“For me, it’s maybe a little better to have achieved this at this age and not when I’m younger because now I can enjoy it a little bit more and know how to use this experience for the future.”

However, Kerber admitted that she is still getting used to the pressures and fame that come with being the women’s world No 1.

“The biggest change is ... I have much more things to do,” she said.

“My day is more tiring than a few months ago, but of course playing tennis and taking care of my career is still my biggest priority.

“But this is all part of being world No. 1, and it’s nice where I am right now.”

Kerber will now turn her focus to the WTA Finals, where she will be hoping to end the year on a high. In four appearances, she has never made it past the round-robin stage.

But the German will have to contend with the likes of defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska (world No 3), Halep (4) and Muguruza (6), who cemented her reputation as a player for the big stage after she defeated Williams in the French Open final to claim her first Grand Slam.

Muguruza, 23, is well aware that the target is now on her back, but the affable Spaniard is relishing the challenge. “Yes, everybody wants to beat me even more now, but I think it’s a great position to be in, to win a Grand Slam and to be back here, I couldn’t be happier with my year so far,” she said yesterday.

“It’s very hard (dealing with pressure), I try to stay in my own bubble sometimes but I would not change that ... I like to be in this position.”

A semi-finalist at last year’s WTA Finals, Muguruza admitted that the season-ending tournament is one of the toughest to win on the tour.

She said: “It’s going to be a crazy battle, everybody is playing amazingly, so I’m going to try and play my best and hopefully I’m going to do it better than last year.”

While the US$7 million (S$9.74 million) WTA Finals may be missing some star glitter this year with fan favourites Williams and Maria Sharapova absent — the former is nursing a shoulder injury while the Russian is serving a drug ban — Halep is confident that the on-court action will be just as exciting for fans here.

“A lot of people are watching this tournament, there are pretty amazing matches now and the level is similar and anyone can win,” she said. “The tournament is open and everyone is enjoying every match.

“They (players like Madison Keys and Karolina Pliskova) are very big hitters, different than the few of us, they are strong, they serve pretty well so it’s nice for the public to see different (styles of) tennis.”