By Three-time grand slam winner Angelique Kerber has described Germany’s United Cup victory as the “perfect comeback” and heaped praise on teammate Alexander Zverev after his insane performance across the campaign.
Kerber returned to the professional circuit with the tournament after an 18-month hiatus following the birth of her first child.
Prior to her time away, the 35-year-old had won the Australian Open and US Open in 2016 and Wimbledon in 2018.
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Her first win on the comeback trail came against Ajla Tomljanović in the semi-final against Australia but was dominated in the final against Iga Swiatek.
Despite the disappointment of losing her tie, Kerber was able to watch on as Germany pulled off a sensational fightback to defeat Poland in the men’s singles and mixed doubles.
“For me this is the perfect comeback to be honest,” she said at the post-match presentation.
“It was a great comeback for me, it feels so great to be on court again, especially starting with the team event.”
Kerber’s talents weren’t required in the finals of the doubles due to Laura Siegemund’s specialty.
However, Zverev featured in every singles and doubles tie. His feat is even more special considering he didn’t sleep until 5:45am on Sunday morning due to Germany’s semi-final clash against Australia ending at 2:20am.
Kerber was in awe of the world No.7’s ability, describing him as her “hero”.
“You are my player of the tournament for sure, without you we wouldn’t be here, especially today, you always played great together in the team event.
“You are actually my hero, so it’s great to have you on my side.”
Zverev also gave special mention to his teammate post-match, saying “there’s no better way of saying welcome back”.
Among praising her team, Kerber also described the United Cup crowd’s “energy” as one of the biggest things she missed from the professional circuit.
“Playing in front of you guys the whole week it was amazing, I feel the energy again, I feel the emotion and this is what I really missed the last 18 months so thank you for having a welcome like this,” she said.
