WATCH | Australian Open: Angelique Kerber begins 2018 campaign with a win

Angelique Kerber has turned the page on a horror 2017 season and is focused firmly on making a fresh start to her career, the German said after sailing into the second round at Melbourne Park on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old enjoyed a bumper 2016, winning the Australian and US Opens, picking up an Olympic silver medal and becoming the first German number one since Steffi Graf.

Her form, however, deserted her last year when she failed to win back-to-back matches at 13 events and made just one final, at Monterrey, to finish the year at number 22.

“I’ve said goodbye to 2017 already. I’m not looking back.”@AngeliqueKerber, undefeated in 2018, starts her #AusOpen campaign with a pic.twitter.com/NRvGyfmUX7

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 16, 2018

“You know, I think last year I will actually not speak about this anymore,” she told reporters after defeating fellow German Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-0 6-4 at the Hisense Arena.

“I mean, last year was really not the best year, everybody knows, and it was a lot of new experience. But I’m also thankful about all the things, because I think I’m growing …”

Kerber signalled her resurgence with her triumph at the Sydney International …read more