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Kerber: I feel great on grass this week


 

Originally published on: 31/07/12 00:00

Kerber admits the grass isn’t playing quite the same as it did during her run to the semi-finals of Wimbledon, but the German insists she won’t let that affect her bid for an Olympic medal.

“It’s a little bit slippy and it’s a little bit different than three weeks ago,” Kerber admitted of the surface. “But it’s the same for everybody so it’s okay!”

The 24-year-old left-hander has dropped just three games in her opening two matches after Petra Cetkovska retired at 6-1 3-0 down in her opening match, before she swept past Hungary’s Timea Babos 6-1 6-1 on Tuesday.

“I feel very great on grass here this week,” said Kerber. “I was concentrating from the first until the last point. [Babos] is actually a very good player. She can hit the ball very deep. I was just trying to play my game and I’m very happy to be in the third round.”

Delighted with her Olympic experience so far, Kerber is relishing both the occasion and being around her fellow countrywomen.

“We are spending the whole day together actually,” said the German, whose compatriots Julia Goerges and Sabine Lisicki remain in the women’s singles. “That’s also a great feeling to be a team here. It’s the first time for me and it’s a dream to play the Olympics for Germany. It’s for sure different than a normal tournament.”

Kerber faces Venus Williams next after the American beat Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak 6-1 6-3, and the three-time Gold medallist says the surface won't be a factor in their third career meeting. 

"It’s nice," said the American. "Earlier in the tournament it looked slippery, but it was new grass and now it looks like it’s settled into being nice grass courts. It feels good."

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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.