{"id":5787,"date":"2015-03-28T17:33:02","date_gmt":"2015-03-28T17:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/indialegalonline.com\/?p=5787"},"modified":"2015-03-28T17:48:25","modified_gmt":"2015-03-28T17:48:25","slug":"servetoss-and-smash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/commercial-news\/sports-news\/servetoss-and-smash\/","title":{"rendered":"Serve\u2026toss and smash"},"content":{"rendered":"
The number one ranked woman tennis player is just three grand slam titles away from breaking Steffi Graf\u2019s 22 wins. And considering Serena\u2019s current form and past record, the goal is not far away <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n By Zoya Rasul<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n It was the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of 2007\u2014the Australian Open. Serena Williams was out of form and practice and was ranked 81 in the world. Media was talking more about her being overweight than her ground strokes. Sponsors were threatening to drop her from their endorsement lists. Many experts had already written her off. But at 26, Serena believed she was yet to play her best tennis. She reached the final of that tournament and pulled off perhaps the most spectacular victory of her career by defeating the top-seed Maria Sharapova, 6-1, 6-2.<\/span> Eight years later, the final of the Australian Open 2015 also had the same opponent. And the result was also the same. The win fetched Serena her first Australian Open title in five years. More than that, it was her 19th Grand Slam singles title, surpassing Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert\u2019s tally of 18 Grand Slams. Steffi Graf is the only open era player ahead of her with 22 major titles\u2014a milestone which appears well within her reach if she continues to play the kind of tennis she is playing right now for another couple of years.<\/span><\/p>\n Serena brings great energy to the world of women tennis. Her serve is considered the best in the game. While most women on the tour serve in the 95 miles per hour zone, Serena\u2019s serves break well into triple digits. Her style of play is often described as \u201cpower game\u201d\u2014no wonder she keeps her opponents on the edge, making for some of the most memorable contests in tennis history.<\/span><\/p>\n Her mental toughness and ability to come back from improbable situations compliment her physical strength. She has won three Grand Slam singles titles after saving match points (2003 Australian Open versus Kim Clijsters; 2005 Australian Open versus Maria Sharapova; and 2009 Wimbledon versus Elena Dementieva)\u2014more than any other player in history, male or female. There is an evident gap between her and the rest. Her dominance over the game can be gauged by the fact that the world number two Maria Sharapova has lost to her 16 times in a row. The last the Russian managed to defeat Serena was in 2004.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Serena surpassed Martina Navratilova (first top) and Chris Evert\u2019s (above) tally of 18 Grand Slams<\/strong><\/p>\n Serena\u2019s greatness doesn\u2019t flow merely from the fact that she is difficult to defeat, almost invincible, but in her ability to stage unlikely comebacks, both in a match and career and her knack for reaffirming her place at the top after lengthy layoffs or less than perfect form.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The time following her half-sister\u2019s murder in 2003 isn\u2019t the only instance when she roared her way back to the top of tennis from nowhere. In July 2010, just four days after lifting the Wimbledon title after beating Vera Zvonareva in straight sets, Serena tramped on a glass bottle in a Munich restaurant, injuring her foot and requiring 18 stitches. The next day, she played an exhibition match against Kim Clijsters, but the injury worsened and the American professional tennis player was unable to compete again in 2010.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\n The win was special as she had spent most of the previous three years away from the game, battling depression that engulfed her following the murder of her older sister Yetunde in 2003. By the end of 2007, Serena was back in the top 10.<\/span><\/p>\nSerena\u2019s greatness doesn\u2019t come because she is almost invincible, but in her ability to stage unlikely comebacks, both in a match and career, and her knack for reaffirming her place at the top after lengthy layoffs or less than perfect form.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n