OMNISPORT

Angelique Kerber has endured a miserable clay-court season in 2017 and the world number one knows she heads to the French Open as an outside bet for the title.

Kerber moved to the top of the rankings after her success at the US Open last September and has remained there throughout this year thanks to a strong hard-court campaign.

However, her place is coming under pressure as she struggles on the red dirt, suffering defeats in her first matches in Stuttgart and Rome, while becoming a last-16 casualty in Madrid after being beaten by Eugenie Bouchard.

It leaves her short of form heading into the second grand slam of the year, but the German remains positive about what she can achieve in the Paris.

"I am looking forward to it, but I won't put big pressure on my shoulders," she told Omnisport.

"Everybody knows that clay is not my favorite surface. Nobody thinks that I can do something big and sometimes it is better to be underestimated."

Her form on clay has brought plenty of attention Kerber's way and she is determined to learn from it rather than letting it affect her morale.

She added: "Of course the focus on you gets more in the last [recent] tournaments, especially if you are number one, but that is a privilege and I want to learn from of that.

"I have a mission for the French Open and [I want to] show that I have learned from the last weeks and months."

The 29-year-old's best showing at Roland Garros came when she reached the quarter-finals in 2012.