Tennis: It’s winning silver – not ‘losing the gold’ – for Kerber

By Amy Tennery

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Few could blame Angelique Kerber for being disappointed after her stunning loss to Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig in Saturday’s women’s singles tennis final.

But if she is upset, she certainly is not letting it show.

“It feels great, it was always a dream to win a medal,” Kerber, 28, told Reuters Sunday.

She acknowledged that a gold medal was one of her goals here at the Games but said she is nonetheless thrilled with her outcome.

“I was not losing the gold, I won my silver,” Kerber said.

Kerber described time spent glued to the television watching the Olympics as a child and called the opportunity to compete in the Games “really special”.

Puig, 22, unseated Germany’s Kerber in three sets Saturday, scoring not only a huge upset but also the first-ever Olympic gold medal for Puerto Rico.

Ranked second in the world, Kerber was a heavy favorite going into the match.

The silver medalist said Puig, ranked 34th in the world, put in one of the best performances of her career, making it difficult to catch her.

“(I) gave everything I could on court,” Kerber said.

(Reporting By Amy Tennery in Rio de Janeiro; Editing by Andrew Hay)