“My 911 suits me well.”
As white as a cloud, but certainly not from out of the blue, Angelique Kerber’s first 911 was the prize for outplaying tough opponents at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. That was back in 2015, when her future triumph in Melbourne was not yet in sight. Now, one year after Kerber’s achievement in Stuttgart and just a few weeks after her magnificent Grand Slam victory at the Australian Open, the white Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet is an unmistakable sign of the 28-year-old’s impressive rise to the pinnacle of pro tennis.
“Even the key is white,” she remarks. The athlete and her sports car share a similar success story. Kerber has become a superstar, and the 911— a symbol of impressive performance, reward, and pleasure—is a perfect reflection of her path to the top.
They hit it off right away. Kerber was already familiar with the 911—she had seen it, dreamed of it, and fiercely coveted it. When Porsche named her a brand ambassador, everything fell into place. “The sound is great, and the power never ceases to amaze me,” she says. But Porsche means more to her than superb technology. The company embodies both professionalism and kinship. “I feel trust and support here,” she says, and then nods as if wanting to emphasize that observation.
As a professional tennis player, Kerber knows what goes into pushing performance to the limit. Aesthetics and cutting-edge technology: she views this combination as the essence of a Porsche. “My 911 suits me well,” she says and smiles. Kerber loves her personal white cloud. She enjoys a few relaxed miles at the wheel “like a good day on the court.” And she has a gift for handling cars. Last year in Stuttgart, the tennis pros organized a small, private “Parking Challenge”—without any media presence. Although just a lark, it brought out a real competitive spirit in the young female athletes. The challenge turned into an amusing battle of skills, including parallel parking a 911, and the player who showed the most promise as a Porsche driver was Kerber, who posted the best time by far. Not long after, winning her own 911 gave her the opportunity to exercise that talent behind the wheel at will. A dream come true, just like the success in Melbourne.
By Reiner Schloz
Photo by Tibor Bozi
