In the dog-eat-dog world of competitive tennis, “sympathy” doesn’t feature in the dictionary.
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Hours earlier on Rod Laver Arena, Williams advanced to within one win of another Grand Slam milestone, beating Agnieszka Radwanska 6-0, 6-4 in a semifinal Thursday that was nearly a non-contest between the players who’ll be Nos.
“I’m going to be ready and whatever happens, happens”.
“I’m not here to have sympathy”, Mouratoglou told a group of reporters. The two played in the 2012 Wimbledon final and the match went to three sets.
She crushed long-time rival Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals and dished out the same treatment to Radwanska, halting her 13-match win streak in emphatic fashion.
The chirping intensified as Williams served in the sixth game of the second set, and she looked up angrily after her off-balance forehand from the baseline conceding her only service break. At 34, was time catching up to her?
Serena Williams insists she is blocking out all thoughts of equalling Steffi Graf’s grand slam record as she prepares to face Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the Australian Open final. Konta, a 24-year-old playing in the main draw of the tournament for the first time, was the first British woman to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since 1983.
“I think she started unbelievable, with such power and speed”.
Sara, 17, beat fellow Australian Baijing Lin 6-1 5-7 6-2 on court six to continue her fine run.
Serena will be joined by big sister Venus in the women’s field for the BNP Paribas Open in March, a year after Serena returned to the Indian Wells event in the California desert to end to her 14-year boycott. The seventh seed had too much guile for the unseeded Briton Johanna Konta sweeping past her 7-5 6-2. “You can’t underestimate Kerber”. I had my little chance in second set, especially when it was 4-all.
“You know, if she’s playing her game, it’s a different level …” Radwanska was even buoyed by breaking Serena for the first time in the match to even the set at 3-3 and going on to consolidate her serve in the next game to give some hopes of possibly sending the match to a third set. “I saw the match today against Aga”. She deserves credit for playing to her seeding here. Here she is a match from winning her 22nd career major, tying her with Steffi Graf.
The form of the American, who won 6-0 6-4 and is yet to drop a set so far, has fed the suspicion she is unstoppable in Saturday’s final.
The opener was a blur.
The first set was 20-minute destruction that statistics only partially explain.
The lefthander sealed the set with a simple net volley after another long rally and broke Konta to open the second, firing down her first ace to save a break point in the following game. Kerber said Graf “is still in shape and she is hitting very hard and moving still like she was moving a few years ago”.
Wednesday was a great day for British tennis. “She’ll be going out there to try to win again another grand slam and to make history”, said Kerber.
The No. 3-ranked Federer saved a break point in the first game and held serve, as the crowd roared trying to pull the Swiss star back into the match.
“I don’t think anyone can really play on that level”, Radwanska said.
Based on her play in Melbourne, it was the right move. And most importantly, you definitely need to book your flight home from Australia for Thursday night or Friday.
Williams’ ability to brush off adversity is rooted in mental toughness. “I’m really excited just to be in the final; I can’t say that I though I would have been in this final after taking so much time off. Either way, I’ll be excited”.
“At the moment it’s a lot of fun for her”.
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It’s the 15th time Djokovic and Federer will have met in a Grand Slam.
