Angelique Kerber is down to a dangerous spiral as her ranking won't stop plunging anytime soon. The former world No. 1 and the one who not long ago stood as the only one able to stop Serena Williams' dominance is now ranked sixth in the world. But, the downward trend may go on an even more dangerous slope now that the 2017 Us Open Tennis Championships is knocking at the door. Still the reigning champion in New York, Kerber will see forced to defend 2000 ranking points, a huge burden for a player who has been under the weather for the most of 2017.
An early exit at Flushing Meadows will throw her outside the top 10. The 29-year-old seems to have left with an empty tank after a tremendous run back in 2016.
Not a single success in 2017
The current year has been totally different compared to the previous one. As Angelique Kerber sank, her output of tennis got smaller and smaller with every tournament. Reaching a single WTA final, and that was at a WTA International event in Monterrey, offered her no comfort. As a matter of fact, her last decent, solid WTA tournament was the WTA Finals in Singapore back in 2016. Despite losing the final to Dominika Cibulkova (another disappointing presence in 2017), It was a good ending for a perfect season.
This time, it may not be the case as Kerber might fail to qualify for the event. The remaining parts of the current season include 2017 US Open and the Asian leg on hardcourt. But, so far, Kerber didn't show any signs that she may be able to turn the table on her side.
Her overall numbers in 2017 are far less than expected as she is 25-17 in win/ loss department.
And she may not have that much time left to improve those stats. The North American hardcourt swing had Kerber failing twice in Toronto and then in Cincinnati. At Rogers Cup, she was outplayed by Sloane Stephens 6-2 6-2. Then, at Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, she lost a thrilling match over Ekaterina Makarova. The Russian's stubbornness was also a factor in that match as Makarova had to deal with some serious cramping throughout the third set.
US Open may bring some relief
Most likely, Angelique Kerber will be seeded sixth in New York which may put her on a difficult draw. On the other side, US Open ends the last significant burden she had to bear for the past twelve months. Maybe the Asian leg will bring a new approach for the German. The general climate of women's tennis allows some wide margins as no one is safe or a clear favorite when a tournament starts. Back in 2016, following her US Open success and ascend to world No. 1, Kerber was rather inconsistent throughout the Asian leg which means she has not much to defend.
