New coach for Wimbledon winner: Kindlmann is to lead Kerber back to the top of the world

Angelique Kerber enters the tennis year 2020 with Dieter Kindlmann as the new coach. The German number one announced the cooperation with the 37-year-old, who has worked with players like Marija Sharapova and Madison Keys in the past.

Kindlmann succeeds Rainer Schüttler, from whom Kerber had split up after the second round finish at Wimbledon in the summer. After that, the 31-year-old was traveling for some time without a permanent coach. At the tournaments in Asia she was last interim supervised by Dirk Dier.

imago images / ZUMA Press

Dieter Kindlmann at the US Open 2018

Kerber looks back on a disappointing year in 2019 and is only number 20 in the world. In the Grand Slam tournaments, she came only in Melbourne in the second round, in Paris and New York was in each case after the first round final. Especially the second-round defeat as defending champion at Wimbledon was a disappointment for Kerber. Only in the tournaments in Indian Wells and Eastbourne, she came to the finals, a title, the three-time Grand Slam champion could not celebrate because of some injuries in 2019.

Already this Monday, Kerber will start preparing for the new season. In addition to Kindlmann, the new fitness coach Marco Panichi should ensure that Kerber returns to its former form. Panichi also works with Serbian Novak Djokovic. In the future, he will be responsible for both Djokovic and Kerber. Kerber needs a special fitness for her baseline game, she was the big plus in her most successful times.

As much as I've enjoyed my time off, I'm excited to get back into training. Happy to announce that Didi Kindlmann wants to join my team as the new coach! Work starts here, and I'm thankful for the people in my team that share the same vision moving forward! #TeamAngie pic.twitter.com/Y6p1YSppyq

For Kindlmann as new coach speaks from the point of view of Kerber that he speaks German and knows the women's tour well for years. He led the American Keys to the final of the US Open two years ago. Kerber and Kindlmann will make their first joint appearance in Hawaii after Christmas. Kerber will take part in the Hawaii Open there and will play a show fight against Sharapova there.

The 31-year-old's tennis year starts at the tournaments in Brisbane and Adelaide, from where the road leads to the Australian Open in Melbourne, where she won her first Grand Slam title in 2016.