In praise of… Angelique Kerber

Angelique Kerber’s stellar 2016 may have ended on a vaguely negative note with defeat to Dominika Cibulkova in Singapore, but the world No.1 proved her point at those WTA Finals: she has been comfortably the best female tennis player in the world this year.

Kerber has been nothing short of sensational in 2016.

From her fearless win over Serena Williams at the Australian Open, to her gutsy fightback against Karolina Pliskova in the US Open final, Kerber has proved that she can handle the pressure of the games’ biggest stages. What’s more, she has proved that she can do so consistently (and that is a rare commodity on the WTA).

Of course, there have been dips in form here and there. But that is hardly surprising given that the indefatigable German has played 22 tournaments in 2016 (not including her two appearances for Germany at the Fed Cup).

What’s more, the tournaments in which she has struggled, like Indian Wells (2R), Madrid (1R) or Beijing (3R), have all taken place in the period immediately following a tournament victory when any player, regardless of their pedigree, would be on a natural comedown.

That she has competed in so many events, and performed relatively consistently throughout the season, has been a blessing to the WTA. In a season where Serena Williams struggled with injuries and Maria Sharapova was ruled out following suspension for failing a drugs test, the Tour desperately needed someone to carry the flame. Kerber took it and ran with it.

She has played every event asked of her – and then some. For the most part she has excelled at the Tour’s biggest tournaments. And she has helped to provide the compelling narrative that the WTA desperately needed as she hunted down Serena Williams at the top of the tree.

And she has done so throughout the season with a positive attitude.

Before she won the Australian Open, few people outside of WTA’s core fanbase knew much about Angelique Kerber. She is now a household name. The way she plays the game has certainly been instrumental in propelling her to global stardom, but so has the way she has carried herself on and off the court. Gracious in both victory and defeat, and in seemingly constant wonder at the way that her year has unfolded, Kerber has shown herself to be an engaging and likeable figure, and a thoroughly worthy year-end No.1.

Can she back it up in 2017? That is the question that people will be asking in the coming months (while she is no doubt taking a well-deserved holiday). If the way that she has handled herself in 2016 is any reflection of what is to come next year, there is no reason to think that she cannot.