Angelique Kerber’s start to the 2024 tennis year season was crowned by success. Playing in the United Cup in Sydney, the Porsche Brand Ambassador chalked up the points in Germany’s win at the prestigious team competition alongside Sascha Zverev and Laura Siegemund. After taking time off to have a baby, she will now return to the Grand Slam stage in Melbourne – a comeback tennis fans all over the world are eagerly awaiting. She is also really looking forward to the tournament especially as she celebrated her first Grand Slam win at the 2016 Australian Open.
“Melbourne is naturally a really special place for me. It’s always wonderful returning to the city,” says Angelique Kerber. After the triumph at the United Cup, she treated herself to a week-long break. She however feels well-prepared for the Australian Open where she will face Danielle Collins (USA) in the first round, and where she will celebrate her 36th birthday: “Playing so many matches at the United Cup was precisely what I wanted for my comeback.”
“I’ll go from match to match and wait and see how things pan out”
In the Sydney final, Angelique Kerber faced Porsche Friend in Poland Iga Swiatek. The 22-year-old Pole, 2023’s most successful player, was also in fine form kicking off the new season. At the United Cup, the world No.1 won all five singles matches and goes into the Australian Open as the big favourite. Her best result in Melbourne was the semifinals in 2022. Winning the title is her aim this time around.
In the Sydney final, Angelique Kerber faced Porsche Friend in Poland Iga Swiatek. The 22-year-old Pole, 2023’s most successful player, was also in fine form kicking off the new season. At the United Cup, the world No.1 won all five singles matches and goes into the Australian Open as the big favourite. Her best result in Melbourne was the semifinals in 2022. Winning the title is her aim this time around.
As a solid Top 10 player, the Porsche Friend in Greece Maria Sakkari is also highly expectant entering the new season. She however could not refrain from making an observation.
“There are so many excellent players taking part and there’s also some Grand Slam champions coming back after giving birth or after a long injury layoff,” says the 28-year-old Greek for whom the Australian Open is something like her home Grand Slam: “There’s a large Greek community in Melbourne that supports me so fantastically. It gives me a feeling of playing at home and it really spurs me on to show my best tennis.” Her first-round opponent is Japan’s Nao Hibino.
Emma Raducanu has made a successful return to the Tour
One of the Grand Slam champions that are returning to the big tennis stage at the Australian Open is Emma Raducanu. Lying behind the Porsche Brand Ambassador is a long time out of the game due to injuries involving several surgical procedures. She cannot wait to get back on the Tour.
“I now truly realise how much I love tennis, and how much I really missed it,” says the 21-year-old Briton who will start her campaign against Shelby Rogers (USA). She made a successful return to the Tour early in January by winning a match at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, and visibly enjoyed it: “When you start up again after such a long break, then you come back with so much enthusiasm and hunger. I’m ready for the Australian Open and am looking forward to it.”
Porsche Talent Team’s Ella Seidel in a Grand Slam main draw for first time
In addition to Angelique Kerber and Laura Siegemund (35), Tatjana Maria (36) is the third Porsche Team Germany player in the Australian Open line-up. The three have been joined by the Porsche Talent Team’s Ella Seidel (18) who impressed when winning three qualifying matches to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time. She will be up right away against one of the world’s very best – the title holder, world No. 2 and three-time Porsche Tennis Grand Prix runner-up, Aryna Sabalenka. As the world No. 42, Tatjana Maria, the 2022 Wimbledon semifinalist and member of the winning United Cup team, is the highest placed German in the world rankings. She will take on Camila Osorio (Columbia) in her opening match.
Laura Siegemund has been drawn against the No. 17 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round. The Stuttgart resident and 2017 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix singles winner is one of the favourites in Melbourne – in the doubles. The current doubles world No. 5 won the 2020 US Open and the 2023 WTA Finals with Vera Zvonareva. The chances of her immediately pulling of the next coup in Melbourne look good. On the one hand due to her impressive performances in mixed alongside Alexander Zverev at the United Cup. On the other, her new partner is Barbora Krejcikova from Czechia has won two of her six Grand Slam doubles titles at the Australian Open – in
Porsche in Tennis
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is the flagship of Porsche’s worldwide involvement in women’s tennis. First played in Filderstadt in 1978, the long-standing Stuttgart tournament has been held in the city’s Porsche Arena since 2006. It stands for tradition and innovation, as does the Porsche brand. As the most loyal sponsor of women’s international tennis, Porsche has accompanied the WTA’s oldest indoor event right from the start. Together with its subsidiaries, the sports car manufacturer was last year the automotive partner of the WTA tournaments in Linz (Austria), Bad Homburg (Germany), Bastad (Sweden), Cincinnati (USA) and Cluj-Napoca (Romania). Angelique Kerber and Emma Raducanu give Porsche a face in tennis as Brand Ambassadors.Jule Niemeier, Maria Sakkari, Karolina Muchova, Anett Kontaveit and Iga Swiatek are additionally “Friends of the Brand” in their home countries. As a premium partner of the “Deutsche Tennis Bund” (DTB – German Tennis Association), the company has been supporting Porsche Team Germany in the Billie Jean King Cup since 2012 and fosters up-and-coming players in the Porsche Talent Team and the Porsche Junior Team.
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