Why no one can stop Serena Williams from winning Serena Slam 2.0
The ever improving Serena
Serena Williams is in the form of her life. Winning titles left, right and centre has become a norm for the World No. 1.
Williams is on the verge of another remarkable feat as she sets foot on the lawns of Wimbledon this month. The American is just one Wimbledon win away from winning Serena Slam 2.0. Such has been the dominance of the 20-time Grand Slam champion that the rest of the field are left pondering for a solution to dislodge Williams from the top.
Williams has shown time and again that she has the mental resolve to come back strongly from seemingly tough situations. One need not go further than the recently concluded French Open to confirm this fact.
Williams fought valiantly and came through tough three setters five times in Paris. When her opponents felt they had a chance at causing an upset, Williams proved why she is the best in the world with superb counter-attack.
Has won everything under the Sun
She is ranked highly by her peers and there is a sense of awe when facing her on the court.
“One of her biggest strengths is her serve. Maybe it’s something that has saved her in many matches," said Maria Sharapova after the 2015 Australian Open final.
She couldn't be more true. We have seen Williams utilize her serve to good effect even when she was under extreme pressure from her opponents. That is the sign of a true champion. They dig deep in times of crisis and come out trumps against all odds.
Williams has won everything that the sport has to offer, but the 33-year-old is hungry for more. She is just two short of Steffi Graf's tally of 22 Grand Slams and four shy of Margaret Court's 24.
She achieved completed her career Grand Slam at the 2003 Australian Open after having had to withdraw from the same tournament a year earlier. The American also became only the fifth woman to hold all four Grand Slams at the same time.
Evert backs Serena at Wimbledon
Coming back to 2015, critics had doubts over Williams doing well at the French Open after her success in Melbourne and Miami. She also lost her first match of the year to Petra Kvitova at Madrid before withdrawing from Rome. All that questions over her form were laid to rest when she won her third French Open title.
Williams has had remarkable success at Wimbledon, winning here on five occasions, with the last title coming in 2012.
However, the World No. 1 has failed to go past the fourth round in her last appearances here. She lost to Sabine Lisicki in the fourth round in 2013 before going down against Alize Cornet in the third round last year.
Former great Chris Evert still feels that Williams can go all the way in London.
"To me, her game is better suited to the grass courts than it is to the clay. She struggled through the French, remarkably winning it," Evert said.
"When she is at her best she is better than anybody else. But at the same time we've seen some hiccups and we've seen some drama, like at the French Open. She can't afford to have any more drama like at the French Open," the 18-time Grand Slam champion added.
No competition for Serena at the moment?
Evert feels Serena is the greatest of all time due to her 20-4 record in Grand Slam finals and the absence of a rival who can go toe-to-toe with her on a regular basis.
“After watching her matches and watching her closely, these players get close, they’re doing really well, and then she’ll get to another level where she slaps winners and she starts acing people,” said Evert. “It’s not one level. All of a sudden, she’s up two or three levels better than the field. It’s not about the other women. It’s about how good Serena is.”
Williams is aiming to repeat Steffi Graf's feat of a Calendar Grand Slam - winning all the four Majors in the same year. She is halfway there after winning the Australian and French Open this season.
Her record against World No. 2 Maria Sharapova and the rest of the field is well known. It takes a miraculous effort from her opponent or a horrendous day at office for the World No. 1 to think about an upset come Wimbledon.
Serena Williams is getting better with age and could just equal Graf's Grand Slam tally come September. Watch out!