Confident Kerber Ready For Melbourne - (2026)

Angelique Kerber (8/1 Women’s Australian Open 2019) has warned her rivals that her form is trending nicely ahead of the Australian Open.

The German won at Melbourne Park in 2016, a success that kicked off a magnificent year which also included finals at both the Olympics and Wimbledon, as well as a second Grand Slam crown in New York.

Inevitably the 30-year-old found life tougher in 2017, dropping out of the top 20 but last year witnessed a return to form as Kerber claimed SW19 success by beating Serena Williams in the final.

Losing out in the third round at Flushing Meadows was disappointing and her form appeared to tail off towards the end of the year, falling in the round-robin stage of the WTA Finals.

However, winning all four of her singles matches at the Hopman Cup shows she is playing well, while Kerber also made the quarter-finals of the Sydney International.

First up in Melbourne for the second seed is Slovakia’s Polona Hercog and the 2016 champion looks to have a reasonable run through the tournament (Kerber 2/1 To Win Quarter 4).

Kerber concedes she is feeling good about her game and is hopeful she can match effort with her talent at one of the most unpredictable events of the year.

“I know that I’m playing well right now, that I’ve played good matches and that I have confidence,” she said. “But it’s still not easy to be here. The tournament starts from zero.

“I have good memories, yeah, I have a good feeling but you never know what’s going to happen.

“I mean, conditions are never so easy here, but I’m looking forward to it.

“The only expectation that I have is to give my best in every single match.”

Odds subject to change