It was the first day of the 2021 French Open, and three-time major champion Angelique Kerber was off the court after her latest disappointing defeat.
It was his third consecutive first round at a Grand Slam, and he won just eight matches throughout the year. Kerber, 33, admitted to a German news outlet that he had thoughts about retirement before the season even started, and that his recent game was not doing much to quell further speculation on the subject.
Kerber could not hide his frustration and had few answers about the defeat in Paris, but his attitude changed drastically when asked about the next Major.
"I'm looking forward to the grass-court season at Wimbledon, and it feels so much better to me," Kerber said.
As he has proved in the first 10 days of the tournament, he had good reason to rejoice. On Tuesday, Resurgent Kerber defeated No. 19 seed and Australian Open semi-finalist Karolina Muchova 6-2, 6-3 and just 24 hours earlier she also defeated Coco Gauff in straight sets.
She will play her first major semi-final on Thursday since Wimbledon in 2018.
"I've never stopped believing in myself in my team," Kerber said Tuesday after the quarterfinal win. "For me, I love playing tennis and I love the sport, going out there and replaying it in front of fans. I think it also pushes me to play my best tennis.
"There have always been ups and downs in my career. I always believed that I could come back because I knew what I could do. ... I never gave up [believe] in myself, how could I play I am."
A vintage performance from @AngeliqueKerber...
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2021
Into her fourth semi-final at The All England Club.#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/jyypv3rd9h
Kerber's career has never been predictable. She made her major main draw debut in 2007, but never progressed beyond the second round until 2010. She flew largely under the radar during those first years on tour, and she was often overshadowed by some of her German peers, such as Andrea Petkovic, Julia Goerges. and Sabine Lisicki.
But she continued to work hard and see increasingly better results – she reached the US Open semifinals in 2011 and won her first WTA title in 2012.
At the relatively advanced age of 28, and nine years after making her first major appearance, she won her first Grand Slam title at the 2016 Australian Open. Then she won the US Open and reached Wimbledon and the Olympic finals in the same year.
She became the oldest player to achieve the No. 1 ranking in the world for the first time and moved up to that top ranking in the 2017 season. But Kerber failed to reach any major quarterfinals in the new season, dropping out of the top 10.
Kerber rediscovered his form in 2018 with trips to the semifinals in Melbourne and the quarters in Paris. She played spoilers against passionate favorite Serena Williams in her first major final since childbirth, claiming the Wimbledon title 6-3, 6-3. She was back at No. 2 in the world by the end of the year.
Kerber had not progressed beyond the fourth round since then.
She injured her left leg at the 2020 Australian Open and did not play again in March before the season was called off due to the coronavirus pandemic. Later at the US Open, her first tournament back, she made the fourth round, but she didn't win another match throughout the year.
The 2021 season looked the same.
After the end of her clay-court season, in which she won four matches in four events, she played two grass-court tournaments in Germany in preparation for Wimbledon. Kerber lost her second match in Berlin, but found her footing in Bad Homburg.
She defeated top seed Petra Kvitova in the semi-finals and eventually won her first title since Wimbledon in 2018 with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Katerina Sinyakova.
Winning in front of a beloved home crowd re-energized her, and she is now building a 10-match winning streak with her in Thursday's clash against world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty. Barty won the previous meeting between the pair and is the oddsmakers' favorite to win the match, and the title, entering the semifinals, but those around the game are unwilling to discount Kerber.
"[Kerber] knows what it takes to win Wimbledon," analyst and two-time major doubles champion Mary Jo Fernandez said on ESPN Tuesday. "She does everything well. She doesn't have a huge weapon to get you off the court, but she reads the game really well, she guesses really well, redirects Whatever she does, she does.
"He feels good on the grass. He also likes drop shots. It's going to be interesting, but I like going with guys who have experience winning these major championships, so I really like Kerber all the way now." Love the opportunity to leave."
After winning the final point in her match against Muchova, Kerber got down on her knees and clenched her fists and had a joyful, almost childish, smile. She later posted a photo of the moment on her Instagram account, writing: "That's what it means."
It was the 80th grass-court victory of his career, and he is only behind Serena (107) and Venus Williams (97) among the most active players. On the court after the win, she told the crowd how happy she was to be back at the All England Club after the cancellation of the 2020 tournament, calling it a "magic place". After talking candidly about how challenging life has been on tour with all the restrictions and a limited number of fans, it was clear that their presence and support made it all the more melodious.
He had a smile on his face as he left the court, shook the fans' hand and made everything soak.
There were no retirement questions this time during the post-match news conference. Less than a month after that painful exit at Roland Garros, Kerber is now two matches away from winning his fourth major title and securing his spot in the game's best.
She didn't make any promises on Thursday, just that she just hopes to enjoy it and wants to win.
"When I was a kid, I was really looking forward to playing this tournament well and playing my best tennis here," Kerber said. "Now I am back. I am coming after a really tough time. I was not playing well for the last few months.
"Now winning a tournament at home last week, now playing well here again, it means a lot to me."