Olympics: Angelique Kerber's fairytale run over

As the match time clicked over to three hours, the end of Angelique Kerber's tennis career was right in front of her.

Up-and-coming star Zheng Qinwen had three match points as the end of an all-time great Olympic match reached its climax.

But in typical Kerber fashion, the German saved all three, bringing the crowd to its feet one last time.

The fourth, proved the end for Kerber as Zheng outlasted the German 7-6, 4-6, 6-7 in an epic quarterfinal in the women's singles.

Despite finishing with a lowly first-serve percentage of 47% and with far more unforced errors than her opponent (49-29), Zheng's age proved the difference as, by the end of the third set, Kerber struggled to contend with a player 15 years younger.

Fitting finale

A win here would have left Kerber with a chance to play for a medal in her final outing, which would have been the movie-script ending that appeared to be in unfolding after the German's remarkable run in Paris.

Kerber beat Naomi Osaka in the first round, Romania's Jaqueline Cristian in three sets after two hours in the second and Canada's Leylah Fernandez in the third. The Bremen-born star has rolled back the years, and very nearly made the semifinals.

The first set was a back-and-forth battle full of breaks and tactical battles, with Kerber's moonballs proving effective at the right time. After 54 minutes in the tie break, Kerber had two set points. She only needed one.

Zheng adapted, as the best players do, and won the second, setting up a grand finale under a closed roof. Incredibly, Kerber took a 4-1 lead, winning a breathless fifth game that saw her save three break points and win a stunning rally.

But, even at this stage with that lead, it was clear Kerber was battling Zheng, her body and the looming end of her career. Her 4-1 head became 4-4 almost instantly and Kerber looked like she was wilting. At 5-4 up, trying to win the match off Zheng's serve, the camera caught her saying to her box: "I can't go on any longer."

But the former world number one, Rio Olympic silver medalist, and three-time major champion did go on just enough longer to deliver one last memorable moment before the curtain fell.

Free to play

Perhaps the magical turnaround in form is down to her meditation, or the change in mentality after becoming a mother in early 2023.

"Since I became a mother, I've had another mentality on the court. I know there's someone more important than me, and more important than sport too," Kerber, who gave birth in early 2023, told Vogue.

While the truth is likely a combination of everything, sport tempts us to believe Kerber freed something in herself by deciding to retire after these Games. It opened her up to play in a way she never had before because there is no replicating or preparing for the last dance. The end of a career has no encore. All that's left is to enjoy.

Kerber's not alone either. Scottish tennis player Andy Murray is also retiring after the Olympics, and two days after saving five consecutive match points in the opening round, he and his doubles partner Dan Evans fended off two more match points to make the quarterfinals. Safe to say that both Kerber and Murray have not only been soaking up the Olympic atmosphere to finish, but have also contributed to it with one last brilliant outing.

A German tennis great

Kerber is Germany's second most successful tennis player, after the unforgettable icon that is Steffi Graff.

Her peak came in 2016, when she won both the Australian Open and the US Open, as well as the silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Her success meant she was the first number one player in the world since Graf, and two years later she beat Serena Williams to win the Wimbledon title.

Inconsistent form followed though, and despite a mini resurgence in 2021 at Wimbledon where she made the semifinals and a memorable win in Strasbourg a year later, Kerber wasn't able to reach her previous heights again. After a year and a half out following the birth of her daughter, she returned but struggled with first round exits at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.

Flourish with a message

That Kerber's career finishes with such a flourish comes as a major surprise given her recent form, but is a testament to a player who is undeniably one of the great German athletes. To do it at her third Olympics —  having missed the Tokyo Games due to injury —  feels like a fitting end for this former champion. To do it as a mother, is a reminder that even Kerber's final act included a further moment of inspiration.

"I believe that many female athletes who want children are also afraid of not being able to do it, not knowing how to continue doing competitive sport as a pregnant woman or mother," Kerber told Vogue, saying she believes a more positive future lies ahead. "We are a generation in which more and more mothers are returning to competitive sport. I also think that's extremely important."

The calls of "Angie, Angie" rang around the Court Philippe Chatrier in Paris for one last time, but Kerber's legacy has long been secure.

Edited by: Kalika Mehta