Kerber continues to struggle with form, despite ranking

Another week, another loss. Angelique Kerber will inevitably retake the world No.1-ranking that Serena Williams currently holds. But her 6-2, 7-5 loss to Kristina Mladenovic on Thursday in Stuttgart continued what has been a downward spiral this season.

“At the 2016 US Open, I was constantly being asked about the No. 1 spot,” Kerber recently wrote for Porsche’s newsroom. “Just before the semifinal against Caroline Wozniacki, it was suddenly definite that I really was going to be the new No. 1. But I didn’t realize it, it didn’t get through to me. It was only when I beat Caro that I suddenly thought, ‘Angie, you’re the No. 1, you belong there.’”

Those words felt more true last season, as Kerber won her first two Grand Slam titles while also reaching the Wimbledon final to propel herself to the top spot in the rankings for the first time. But backing that performance up has proven difficult.

The left-handed German has only won one match against a Top 35 competitor thus far in 2017, losing 10 of 11 matches in that category. (That win was over Carla Suarez Navarro in Monterrey.)

“My confidence increases with every win. And when you’ve won a few matches in a row, it’s easy to be optimistic,” Kerber wrote. “It’s different when things aren’t going well. But you also have to remain optimistic, and sometimes even force yourself to be so. Nothing is possible without optimism.”

The 29-year-old would have hoped to win her first title on clay, having won Stuttgart last year. Her loss to Mladenovic in her opening round proved disappointing.

“It was for sure one of the worst matches I’ve played in the last few months,” Kerber said.

Kerber lost her opening rounds in Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros last year, but will have a ton of points to defend from Wimbledon through the US Open. So although she will overtake Williams’ top spot in the rankings again, it is becoming a question of "when" rather than "if" a new player will take her place.

“The road to the top can be long and bumpy,” Kerber wrote. “One has to believe in oneself at all times and never give up.”

That statement doesn’t just hold true for making one’s way to the top, but staying there. Kerber now knows that firsthand.