Angelique Kerber became the first German woman to win Wimbledon for 22 years on Saturday but insisted the seeds of her shock triumph over Serena Williams were sown during a miserable 2017 season.

This time last year, Kerber was knocked out in the fourth round at the All England Club following a first round exit at Roland Garros. Another first round loss at the US Open, where she was defending champion, contributed to her ending the year at 21 in the world, her lowest ranking in six seasons. "I think without 2017 I couldn-t win this tournament," said Kerber, 30, after seeing off Williams 6-3, 6-3. I think I learned a lot from last year, with all the expectations, all the things I went through.