ANGELIQUE KERBER NAMED A "LEGEND OF SPORT"
A very special honour for the Sporting Director of the Bad Homburg Open powered by Solarwatt: on Saturday, Angelique Kerber was named a ‘Legend of Sport’ at the German Sports Press Ball in Frankfurt am Main, placing her alongside previous recipients such as Franz Beckenbauer, Michael Schumacher, Boris Becker and Katarina Witt.
Doing good, committing herself to a cause, supporting social projects: UNICEF patron and Laureus Ambassador Angelique Kerber has been doing all of this for quite some time. It was only fitting, then, that the Frankfurt ball organisers had already honoured her as ‘Sportswoman with a Heart’ back in 2018, the year of her magnificent Wimbledon triumph.
Almost five months after her official farewell match as a professional player on the sidelines of this year’s Bad Homburg Open powered by Solarwatt, the 38-year-old was once again in the spotlight on Saturday. With this award, Angelique Kerber became only the second personality at the long-standing Sports Press Ball to be honoured first as ‘Sportsperson with a Heart’ and then, a few years later, as a ‘Legend of Sport’. The other, incidentally, is DFB Sporting Director Rudi Völler.
A magical 2026: ten years on from the big breakthrough
The white porcelain horse trophy was presented to her at the weekend on the stage of the Alte Oper in front of around 2,500 guests by her friend Ana Ivanovic. The timing could hardly have been more fitting: 2026 marked the tenth anniversary of Angelique Kerber’s first Grand Slam title (at the Australian Open), her US Open victory and her first rise to world number one.
‘2016 was my year and will always be my year,’ she emphasised. ‘After that, my life changed completely.’ Angelique Kerber is now a mother of two. That does not change the fact that she still feels closely connected to tennis, not least in her role as Sporting Director of the Bad Homburg Open powered by Solarwatt. ‘This,’ the Bremen-born former player says time and again, ‘is a project close to my heart!’
