Word: serenas
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
While the tennis world has long anticipated Roger Federer's quest for his first title in the French Open (starting May 27) and likely Slam if he finally conquers the slow clay of Roland Garros, it's suddenly Serena, now ranked No. 11, who may steal center court. "It's just amazing what she has done," says the world's No. 5, Jelena Jankovic of Serbia. "When she's on her game, Serena is the best player in the world. It wouldn't surprise me if she won a Grand Slam...
That game is a steamroller with a couple of forward gears. When the Williams sisters first appeared on the tour in the late '90s, they brought with them a new level of strength and athleticism. Serena could crush most balls hit at her. Powder-puff tennis was over. Eventually, the other pros began to match her power, and injuries began to nag. Williams can still bring it, but this year she's more likely to play a little finesse for the first six shots or so, saving the blast for stroke seven or eight...
Before we declare 2007 the Summer of Serena, let's just remember that we've seen faux sister-act revivals. In 2005, for example, both Serena and Venus won unexpected majors (Serena in Australia, Venus at Wimbledon), only to fade fast. But tease or not, the game's most compelling personality--hip, brash, beautiful--is once again part of the conversation, which tends to be lively when Serena is talking. "She's a complicated person," notes Zina Garrison, Serena's coach on the U.S. Fed Cup team. "And the world is intrigued with people that they can't quite figure...
...other mystery: Why did Serena slide into near oblivion? In the 16 months leading up to the Australian, she played in five tournaments. Her mother Oracene Price admits that tennis started to bore her daughter, so Serena felt free to pursue some outside interests, like acting (she appeared in an ER episode). Plus, a nagging knee injury stripped some motivation. "Serena is definitely the baby in our family," says Williams' sister Isha of her youngest sib. "She has a little of that 'Woe is me' going on. Like, 'Oh, my God, why am I always injured? Why is the press...
...salvos hurt even more. Most notably, in an open letter to Tennis magazine last year, Chris Evert knocked Serena for dabbling in acting and fashion. "These distractions are tarnishing your legacy," Evert wrote. Serena scoffs, "Obviously she's extremely happy in her life and everything that she's going through, so she's in a position to criticize someone else." The sarcasm was as heavy as the Wimbledon...