Angelique Kerber, 29, who was until recently the world No. 1 in women's tennis rankings is far from that tremendous pace of 2016 when she emerged as a WTA superstar. In 2017, the German has been struggling on a daily basis not being able to find some rhythm. Currently ranked third in the world, the melting process may not be over now that she will have to defend a few thousands of points over the next several weeks. In fact, if she fails to keep those points in the safe, she may plunge outside the top 10. This week, she will feature the WTA event in Toronto where she reached the semis last year.
The summer of 2016 was pretty much special for the German who also made it to the final in Cincinnati and the Olympics in Rio. She capped that summer swing with a triumphant run in New York capturing her second Grand Slam of the year.
Toronto main draw has Kerber in the same half with Pliskova
As the third seed of the Premier 5 event from Canda, Angelique Kerber received a bye for the first round. She will start her campaign by facing the winner of an interesting encounter as Donna Vekic will take on wild card beneficiary Eugenie Bouchard. The 23-year-old Canadian who was a WTA top 5 back in 2014 can really test Kerber. Back in the spring, Bouchard ousted Kerber in Madrid. If she gets past the second round, Kerber's next opponent may be Petra Kvitova who is set to face Sloane Stephens in the second round.
The fourth round may produce another great match-up between Kerber and Konta or Cibulkova. The current world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova may await the German in the semis. It is indeed a tough draw for last year's semifinalist but the German must find a way to restart her season.
Kerber was the one who ended Serena Williams' monopoly
Back in 2016, Angelique Kerber made it to three Grand Slam finals, the same number Serena had. But Kerber had the upper hand winning two of them while Serena prevailed only at Wimbledon Championships. With Serena out of the contest as she is expected a first child, Kerber missed a great opportunity to cement her legacy.
It should've been her confirmation season but instead, it all came to ashes pretty quick. As the younger rivals rose to fame with Jelena Ostapenko and Garbine Muguruza winning the French Open and Wimbledon, Kerber saw her name being dragged away from the top. As the uncertainty looms over her head, the next few weeks may be crucial for her career. Almost in her thirties, Kerber's career is heading to an imminent twilight.
