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Champions Corner: Serena

Champions Corner: Serena

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

LONDON, Great Britain – Serena Williams wasn’t sure how she found herself at the net on match point. At least not for as long as she did. But as was the case at the Australian Open, Angelique Kerber dug in and made her hit that extra shot, poking, prodding, and counterpunching as we’e seen the German do so well. Kerber was not going to give it away. Serena had to earn it. And as she finally put away the last ball with a casual forehand volley into the open court, the 34-year-old American fell to the turn and laid still.

Finally. No.22. Finally.

“On match point I hit a great shot and she got it back and I was like, ‘How appropriate that I have to win this at the net because I’m never at the net,” Serena told ESPN after the match with a laugh.

For nearly a year, Serena’s path to her Open Era record-tying 22nd major was paved with crushing disappointment. Her nervous, three-set loss to Roberta Vinci at the 2015 US Open was, in her own words, heartbreaking. What should have been the Summer of Serena – a coronation of her greatness looked sure to come at the US Open with the completion of the Calendar Slam – ended with a shock loss. She took the rest of the season off and returned at the Australian Open in January, again in search of No.22. Again she came up short, as Kerber blocked her way with brick-wall defense.

The big-match losses continued. Victoria Azarenka beat her in the final of the BNP Paribas Open. Then came a loss to Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Miami Open. When she earned her first title of the season at the Italian Open in Rome, she looked back to her dominant ways. Then came a one-way loss to Garbiñe Muguruza in the French Open final.

“I have definitely had some sleepless nights, if I’m just honest, with a lot of stuff,” Serena said. “Coming so close. Feeling it, not being able to quite get there.”

Serena Williams

And then things changed. Serena willed the change. She woke up one morning after the French Open and decided to stop feeling sorry for herself. She would not allow herself to be the victim of some universal conspiracy to keep her off the podium. She was the architect of her own destiny. And in that moment, the Serena Williams took back the reigns.

“One day I woke and I felt different,” Serena told a small pool of reporters after the final. “I felt I can do better. I can do this. Not only can I do this but I’m going to do this and there’s nothing in this world that’s going to stop me.”

The change in mentality showed both on and off the court. I wrote last week about the clear change in how Serena spoke about herself throughout the fortnight. That was based on just my observation. I put that theory to Serena after the final. She agreed.

Q: One thing that I’ve noticed with you in the press room here and off the court as well is there does seem to be a re-embracing of “I’m Serena. I’ve done what I’ve done.” How far away did you think that you got from that last year? I feel like you were trying to diffuse the pressure a little bit of the run up to New York, saying “I’m just doing my best, that’s all I can do.” But it seems like you kind of recaptured yourself here.

A: Yeah, I definitely think so. I feel like… God, get it, girl [laughs]. Wow. Yes. Very well said.

While she was dishing out bagels on court, reminding her opponents and anyone watching this was a focused, determined, positive Serena, off-court she took every opportunity to remind reporters that her last three Slam losses did not change her character as a champion. At times it felt like it was just as important to say it out loud to herself as it was for the press to hear.

“I definitely feel like when I lose I don’t feel as good about myself. But then I have to remind myself that you are Serena Williams. Do you know what you’ve done, who you are, what you continue to do not only in tennis, off the court? You’re awesome. I think that shows the human side of me, that I’m not a robot. I only expect perfection.”

For the first time since 2006, we saw a rematch of a Grand Slam final in the same season. Kerber flummoxed Serena with her defense at the Australian Open and there is no denying that Serena was unsettled throughout the match with nerves. On Saturday, Serena controlled those nerves. In fact, she controlled everything. On the surface that rewards her game like no other, she served 13 aces, one of which wiped out the only break point she faced all day. She fired 39 winners to 21 unforced errors on a day when Kerber forced her to earn every inch.

“Serena was serving unbelievable today,” Kerber said afterwards. “At the end I was trying everything, but she deserved it today. She really played an unbelievable match. I think we both play on a really high level. I tried everything.

“I mean, I think I was not the one who lost the match, I think she won the match. Just one can win, and today Serena deserved it.”

On a day when Kerber hit just nine unforced errors in the match, Serena had to win it. And on this day, instead of throwing her hands up to the heavens asking how Kerber could get that one ball back every time, she simply gripped her racquet tighter and took control.

“We had a lot of long, tough points,” Serena said. “I think every single point I worked for, and nothing was given to me.”

Serena Williams

That sums up much of Serena Williams’ career. With her seventh Wimbledon title she is now tied with Stefanie Graf for the Open Era record in major titles. She now just two wins short of Martina Navratilova’s Open Era record of Slam wins. She has won more matches at Wimbledon than any other active player. On Monday she will remain No.1, the oldest woman to hold the top ranking, for her 301st week.

After the match the BBC ran a montage of Serena’s march to No.22, narrated by Serena herself reading Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise.” It was a moving montage of all her trials and tribulations over the last 12 months.

“I knew Maya when she was around,” Serena told a pool of reporters. “I used to go hang out with her. She was someone I really admired and I think her work should always live on.

“It’s an extremely powerful poem to me and it meant a lot to me last year. It’s one of my favorite poems of hers and I think it’s so powerful. The words are so strong and so encouraging. And I think it describes me. I really do.

“One of the most powerful lines that I like is when she says don’t get me twisted with your bitter twisted lies. Were you happy to see me down, were you sad when I fell down? And then one of my favorite parts is ‘I’m the hope and the dream of a slave.’

“So those really, really resonate with me because that’s what my ancestors were. I’m the product of that. If you break down those words, it was a dream probably for my ancestors to be here and to see what they, because of their perseverance, were able to let me have this opportunity. It’s so touching and it’s so amazing that because of that I do have that opportunity.”

We may never know the true depth of the emotional impact this last year – or really these last 20 years – has had on her personally. But her internalization of the words and the message, one of hope, of overcoming, of being judged and misunderstood, of celebrating her black history while defying it, speaks volumes of where she’s been and how she tapped into that inner strength to get back to where she wants to be.

Earlier in the week, a reporter asked what it feels like to go down as one of the greatest female athletes of all time. Serena did not blink. She did not hesitate.

“I prefer the word ‘one of the greatest athletes of all time’.”

Rise up. Serena is back.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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Sadikovic Battles Through In Gstaad

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

GSTAAD, Switzerland – Two weeks on from facing Serena Williams at the home of tennis, Amra Sadikovic continued her career renaissance with victory on a slightly more low-key, but no less important, stage.

Playing on home soil, at the Ladies Championship Gstaad, Sadikovic produced a battling display to see off Rebecca Peterson, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, in just under two hours.

Struggling for motivation and money, Sadikovic walked away from the game two years ago. Inspired to return following the fairytale comeback of fellow Swiss Timea Bacsinszky, Sadikovic has been making up for lost time, already reaching a higher ranking than during the first phase of her career.

And against Peterson there was enough to suggest that her rise up the tennis pyramid may not yet be over, reeling off the final three games to emerge triumphant.

“It is a big difference, playing Wimbledon and now Gstaad, but I have to say I’m happy here – I’ve always played good anywhere back home. Even though it’s much smaller than Wimbledon it’s a nice atmosphere,” Sadikovic said.

“It was quite easy [moving back to clay], I think it took two days and I felt good. I had more problems with the altitude, so I had to fight for every point as I was not comfortable at all. I tried to mix it up, use my variety and even though I missed a few balls in the second set it made the difference in the end.”  

Also advancing in the top half of the draw were Mandy Minella, Claire Feuerstein and Irina Khromacheva.

Feuerstein recovered impressively from a slow start to defeat Sílvia Soler-Espinosa, 2-6, 6-2, 6-0, while Khromacheva ably defused Lucie Hradecka, breaking six times en route to a 6-2, 7-5 victory.

Minella bounced back from her heartbreaking Wimbledon exit, defeating Ons Jabeur in an equally dramatic encounter. Jabeur served for the match in the second set only to see Minella fightback and eventually triumph, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.

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Sania Mirza: Ace Against The Odds

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Sania Mirza has overcome tremendous adversity to become a World No.1 in women’s doubles and a trailblazer for Indian tennis. Co-ranked atop the doubles rankings with partner Martina Hingis, Mirza has captured three of the last five major tournaments – not including the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. She and Hingis became the first players to outright qualify for Singapore in singles or doubles earlier this spring.

Last week, Mirza released her first book, an autobiography entitled Ace Against The Odds. Published by Harper Sport, the doubles star recounts her rise to the top of women’s tennis, and all the obstacles she had to face along the way.

Pick up your copy of Ace Against The Odds today on Amazon, and let us know what you think of the book!

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10 Things: Stanford, Washington DC, Bastad

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Every week on wtatennis.com we bring you 10 Things To Know about the week – who is playing, where and much more. This week the Road To Singapore goes through Stanford, Washington DC and Bastad…

1. Vintage Venus Williams is Stanford top seed.
No.1 seed Venus Williams, two-time champion (2000, 2002) and five-time runner-up (1998-1999, 2004-2005, 2009) at Stanford is back in action after coming off a semifinal finish at Wimbledon.

2. Newlywed Dominika Cibulkova seeks a second crown…
2013 Champion and No.2 seed Dominika Cibulkova is back to earth after her fairytale fortnight at Wimbledon. She’s looking to make another deep run in Stanford, following a nine-match winning streak by clinching the title at Eastbourne and reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

3. …while British No.1 Johanna Konta makes her Stanford debut.
At this time last year, Britain’s Johanna Konta was ranked in the 120s and playing ITF events leading up to her big breakthrough later in the fall. Now, she sits at a career-high ranking of No.18 and is making her Stanford debut.

4. Kerber makes her Bastad comeback…
World No.2 Angelique Kerber returns to Bastad for the first time in five years. The German is coming off her second Grand Slam final appearance at Wimbledon. She gets Swedish wildcard Cornelia Lister in the first round.

5. … but three former champions are also back in the hunt.
Three former Bastad finalists are back in this year’s main draw: Mona Barthel (2014 champion, 2015 runner-up), Polona Hercog (2011, 2012 champion), Johanna Larsson (2011, 2013 runner-up, 2015 champion).

6. And Kiki Bertens is still red hot.
No.3 seed Kiki Bertens will be looking to continue her clay-court success in Bastad, as the 24-year-old Dutch woman won her second WTA title at Nurnberg before reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal at Roland Garros. She’s also fresh off a run to the final in Gstaad.

7. Cagla Buyukakcay looks to make her mark.
Turkey’s No.1 Buyukakcay is one to watch in Bastad: she won her first WTA career singles title at her home tournament in Istanbul this year, also qualifying her for her first Grand Slam main draw at Roland Garros, reaching the second round

8. Can Sloane Stephens make it four?
Defending champion and No.2 seed Sloane Stephens returns to Washington DC where she captured her first WTA title in 2015. Now, the American has won three more titles – Auckland, Acapulco and Charleston – all this year. Can Stephens defend her title and make it four titles in 2016?

9. Another young American looms in the draw…
Unseeded Shelby Rogers is sitting at a career-high ranking of No.59 after reaching her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Roland Garros, where she took out three seeds (No.17 Pliskova, No.10 Kvitova, No.25 Begu).

10) Find out where you can watch live action this week.

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Injury Rules Kerber Out Of Bastad

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Angelique Kerber’s hopes of bouncing back from her Wimbledon heartache with a title were scuppered when injury forced her to withdraw from the Ericsson Open.

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A Pair Of Perfect 10s In Montreal

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MONTREAL, Canada – 2015 Rogers Cup runner-up Simona Halep arrived in Montreal, the site of compatriot Nadia Comaneci’s Olympic triumph, in time to ring in the 40th anniversary of her Perfect 10s at 1976 Summer Games.

A dynamic gymnast, Comaneci won three gold medals, registering six perfect scores – including the first ever recorded – along the way.

“When I was 14, I didn’t understand what was happening because I was too young,” she said, reflecting on the other-worldly achievement. “As time goes by, I treasure more and more what happened and I realize it was a big deal.”

Check out tweets from Comaneci and Halep, who have become friends as the young Romanian has risen up the ranks. After winning her second Premier Mandatory title at the Mutua Madrid Open, Halep was presented the trophy by Comanci during the winner’s ceremony.

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Larsson Too Strong For Beck In Bastad

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BASTAD, Sweden – Johanna Larsson moved one step closer to reclaiming her Ericsson Open title by knocking out No.4 seed Annika Beck in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Watch live action from Bastad, Stanford and Washington DC this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Appearing at this stage for the fifth time in the past six years, Larsson looked surprisingly ill at ease early on, at one point even dropping her racquet mid-rally as she slipped 3-1 behind. However, urged on by a supportive crowd, she did not trail for long, a run of four straight games turning the set on its head.

While the Swede was unable to serve out the set at 5-4, she hit back immediately, guiding a forehand winner down the line to earn three more break points. Beck surrendered with a backhand into the net and when the same wing let her down a few minutes later the set was over.

As the disappointment lingered, Larsson sensed her moment establishing an early second set lead and wrapping up a 7-5, 6-1 victory after an hour and 20 minutes.

“I played very well today, I’m happy with my performance – I thought I was really solid out there, I took advantage of the crowd and was just really happy to be out there,” Larsson said. “I think I’m on a good path – today was a good match – and if I can just keep going and keep solid, and if I can keep going and take my chances I’ll have a very good chance in the semifinals.”

There she will face Katerina Siniakova after she upset No.2 seed Sara Errani, 7-6(2), 6-3. On the other side of the draw, Laura Siegemund and Julia Goerges succeeded where their compatriot Beck failed by advancing to the semifinals.

In the schedule’s opening match, Siegemund defeated Lara Arruabarrena, 7-5, 6-3, before Goerges followed up with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Karin Knapp. 

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