Angelique Kerber's rise to world No. 1 has captured the attention of fans in Germany and could create a very busy off-season schedule for the 28-year-old German.
The top-seeded Kerber's loss to Dominika Cibulkova in yesterday's WTA Finals championship match drew nearly one million television viewers in Germany, Forbes reports.
Watch: Cibulkova Upsets Kerber in Singapore Final
The two-time Grand Slam champion has received more than 100 media requests for off-season interviews, including 20 from television shows, the magazine reports. Kerber's career year has seen a significant spike in her popularity, too, with her Facebook page gaining 500,000 more likes since the start of the season.
Kerber, who posted a 63-18 record with three titles in 2016, said the increased attention has resulted in a stricter schedule.
"It's everything. It's sponsors, clinics," Kerber said in Shanghai. "The press is not like ten minutes now. It's a little bit longer. Everything is much more longer. This is what change.
"Yeah, I have much more things so the schedule is tighter. Yeah, but now I guess used to it. It was not so easy after Australia to deal with this, but now we are like ten months after so it's a little bit easier for me to know how the schedule is and to know how to focusing still on my practice and on my tennis. That's the priority."
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