Johannesburg: After claiming her maiden Australian Open title, Angelique Kerber has said she feels proud to reach the pinnacle and insisted that her hard work had finally paid off.
The German seventh seed claimed a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win over defending champion and world number one Serena Williams in an enthralling summit clash that lasted for two hours and eight minutes at Rod’s Laver Arena.
Reflecting on her performance, the 28-year-old said that she had proven herself not just by beating Williams but also claiming a victory over two-time champion Victoria Azarenka in the quarter-finals contest, Sport24 reported.
Kerber admitted that she was not performing well in the big tournaments last year, but added that she managed to kick off her current season on a winning note.
Describing her key to success, Kerber said that she learnt an important lesson following her win that was just to keep working on what you wanted to achieve in life.
With the win, the power-hitting southpaw also denied Williams a chance to win a seventh Melbourne singles title and to match German great Steffi Graf’s 22 Grand Slams record. (ANI)