09 February,2021 06:57 AM IST | Melbourne | AFP
Angelique Kerber. Pics/Getty Images
Angelique Kerber said being forced into hard hotel quarantine contributed to her demise at the Australian Open Monday after the former champion crashed out to Bernarda Pera, 26.
The 2016 Australian Open winner, seeded 23 at Melbourne Park, was in disarray as she succumbed 0-6, 4-6 in just one hour and 10 minutes against American Pera, ranked 63.
The German, who had 25 unforced errors and seven double faults, lost the first nine games as she faced the humiliating prospect of a 6-0, 6-0 âdouble bagel' before her attempts at a comeback were thwarted by Pera, who did not undergo a hard quarantine.
Kerber was one of 72 players unable to leave their rooms during quarantine after being on a flight to Melbourne where a passenger tested positive for COVID-19. Other players were allowed outside for daily five-hour training blocks. "Definitely, yes," Kerber, 33, said when asked if the lockdown had an impact on her performance.
"You feel it, especially if you play a real match where it counts and you play the first match in a Grand Slam against an opponent who doesn't stay in the hard lockdown. I wasn't feeling the rhythm that I was before the two weeks, to be honest."
The three-time Grand Slam-winner said she would have reconsidered travelling to Australia if she had known what lay ahead. "Looking back, I had not planned for the two weeks hard quarantine," added Kerber.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
