Biography
Angelique Kerber is a German professional tennis player. A former world No. 1 and winner of three Grand Slam tournaments, she made her professional debut in 2003 and rose to prominence upon reaching the semifinals of the 2011 US Open as the No. 92-ranked player in the world. She ascended to the top of the rankings on 12 September 2016, thus becoming the twenty-second and oldest player to achieve the number-one ranking for the first time after Victoria Azarenka in 2012.
Early Life
Kerber was born in Bremen to Polish parents Sławomir Kerber, from Poznań, and Beata (née Rzeźnik), who is her manager. She has one sister, Jessica. Similarly, she grew up in Kiel and started playing tennis at age three, eventually joining the junior circuit. In 2012, Kerber moved to Puszczykowo; a suburb of Poznań, Poland, where her maternal grandfather owns an indoor tennis facility. She made inroads at events in Germany and elsewhere in Europe, but did not win a junior title before 2003, at which point she had already turned professional at age 15.
Personal Life
Kerber speaks German, Polish and English and holds dual German-Polish citizenship. She has competed for Germany since the start of her career. In an interview, Kerber clarified that, despite strong Polish connection, she considers herself German: “I am German. I play for Germany, I grew up in Germany, and my heart beats for Germany”, however, another time she said: “my heart beats for Poland too”. A huge football fan, Kerber has cited German club FC Bayern Munich as her favourite team. Although born right-handed, she plays left-handed. Kerber has frequently cited former German tennis player Steffi Graf as her childhood idol and her motivation for pursuing tennis.
Career
Kerber made her Grand Slam debut year in 2007. She competed in her first Grand Slam main draw at the French Open where she lost to Elena Dementieva in the opening round. She then reached her first main draw quarterfinal at the Ordina Open, before losing to eventual champion Anna Chakvetadze. At Wimbledon, she once again lost to Chakvetadze in the first round. Then at the US Open, she drew Serena Williams in the first round and lost in straight sets.
Kerber reached her first quarterfinal of the year at the start of the season at the Hobart International, losing to Bethanie Mattek-Sands. That led to a six-match losing streak which lasted until the Bahamas Women’s Open, where she reached the final before losing to Anastasiya Yakimova. She then reached the second round in Miami, losing to Francesca Schiavone. Additionally, in Sydney, Kerber entered as defending champion, defeating Camila Giorgi, but losing to Petra Kvitová in the quarterfinals. Furthermore, in the Australian Open, Kerber defeated Polona Hercog, Beatriz Haddad Maia (and gained her 100th win in her Grand Slam tournaments) and Kimberly Birrell all in straight sets. In the 4th round, she lost to Danielle Collins, losing in straight sets.
Sponsors
Kerber has endorsement deals with Adidas, her clothing and shoe sponsor, and Yonex, her racquet sponsor. Since 2015, she became a global ambassador of Stuttgart car manufacturer Porsche. In late 2016 she signed a deal with insurance group Generali. Further in 2016, she became beauty ambassador for the US cosmetics company Bare Minerals, a Shiseido brand. In 2017, she became the global brand ambassador for Australian health snack brand Slim Secrets and signed with both the Swiss luxury watchmaker Rolex[88] and the software corporation SAP. In August 2019, Kerber announced that she became a brand ambassador for Head and Shoulders Suprême.
Her portfolio of endorsements has made her the second-highest-paid female athlete in the world in the annual Forbes list of 2017.
Overview
- Full Name: Angelique Kerber
- Residence: Puszczykowo, Poland
- Date of Birth: 18 January 1988
- Age: 31
- Birth Place: Bremen, West Germany
- Height 73 m (5 ft 8 in)
- Turned pro since 2003
- Plays: Left-handed (two-handed backhand), born right-handed
- Grand slams won (singles): 3
- Prize money: $28,532,857: 8th in all-time rankings
- Current ranking: No. 15 (2 September 2019)
- Tour Finals: F (2016)
- Net Worth: $30 Million
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Reference Net Worth of Angelique Kerber