Serena Williams is taking nothing for granted as she vies for a third straight US Open title, which would put her alongside two greats of the game.
The 32-year-old has thrice been thwarted in 2014 in her bid to join Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova as 18-time grand slam singles champions.
Although she has lifted five WTA trophies this year, she has failed to make it past the fourth round at the Australian Open, French Open or Wimbledon.
“Yeah, Australian, Wimbledon, and French also could have been 18,” said Serena. “Didn’t quite happen.”
But Serena was firing on all cylinders as she won two hardcourt titles in the buildup to the Open, signalling she won’t surrender her crown without a fight.
Her straight-sets win over Ana Ivanovic in the final at Cincinnati showed Serena at her dominant best.
It was a long way from Ivanovic’s fourth-round victory over Serena at the Australian Open, where the American was hindered by back pain. Back trouble, a humbling second-round exit at Roland Garros, and the virus that left her weak and woozy in doubles after her shock third-round singles exit at Wimbledon, are all in the past, said Serena. “I’m in some of the best shape I’ve been in,” said the world number one. “I feel really fit — 32 is the new 22, right?”
An actual 22-year-old, Simona Halep, will be among those trying to topple Williams in New York.
The Romanian has been knocking at the door of a first Grand Slam title this year, finishing runner-up to Maria Sharapova at Roland Garros. Halep also reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and the semi-finals at Wimbledon as she climbed to number two in the world.
Serena will also be challenged by more familiar foes, including Sharapova. The Russian captured her fifth career Grand Slam in Paris, but she has never won two majors in the same year.
“I only have one more chance to do that this year,” she said, and admitted that such milestones matter.
Just who else might emerge to challenge Serena is unclear.
Australian Open champion Li Na of China is an injury absentee, while Czech Petra Kvitova was an early casualty in Canada and Cincinnati although she did claim the New Haven title on Saturday.
Eugenie Bouchard, the world number eight, has failed to impress since her crushing loss to Kvitova at the Wimbledon final.
Victoria Azarenka, beaten by Serena in each of the past two US Open finals, goes into the fortnight under an injury cloud.
Federer poised for fairytale of New York
Roger Federer hopes to mark the 10th anniversary of his first US Open title with a sixth triumph in New York and become the oldest grand slam champion in more than 40 years.
In an astonishing reversal of fortunes, the 33-year-old, written off as a relic of the game when he slipped to a fourth-round loss to Tommy Robredo 12 months ago, finds himself perfectly positioned to win a staggering 18th major. Buoyed by claiming a sixth Cincinnati title – his 80th career crown – and with long-time rival Rafael Nadal again sidelined with injury, the Swiss is relishing the twilight of his career.
“This year I played a lot of good matches,” said the second-seeded Federer. “I’m looking forward to this tournament, because I really feel like I can play a great tournament. I hope I can show that on the court this year.”
Djokovic, the 2011 champion and who has featured in the last four finals, heads into the US Open with two dispiriting third-round losses in Toronto and Cincinnati.
The 27-year-old Serb, recently married, has also had to bat back accusations that he is distracted by impending fatherhood.
“I wanted to do better in Canada and Cincinnati,” said Djokovic. “Unfortunately I wasn’t even close to my best there. I wasn’t managing to find that intensity and the perfect mindset.”
Despite recent hiccups, Djokovic’s record at all the majors is impressive — the last time he failed to make at least the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam was at the 2009 French Open.
Andy Murray, the 2012 champion, has not reached a final of any description since his historic 2013 Wimbledon triumph.
Now down at nine in the world, the 27-year-old has not got beyond the quarter-finals of any tournament since his morale-sapping semi-final loss to Nadal at the French Open.“This year would be the best prepared I have been coming into a slam,” insisted Murray. “My body is pain-free, which is good.”
With 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro still sidelined by injury, the much-vaunted next generation will get another opportunity to shine.
But they remain works in progress.
Canada’s Milos Raonic, the world number six, was a semi-finalist at Wimbledon and Cincinnati where he was swept aside in straight sets on both occasions by Federer.
Fellow 23-year-old Grigor Dimitrov, the world number eight, has three titles to his name in 2014 but lost out to Djokovic in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 25th, 2014.
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