Skeptics wondered if Serena Williams would be ready for the Australian Open after pulling out of the Hopman Cup early this month with a sore knee.
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Football star Lionel Messi gained a new admirer in the form of Serena Williams at the Australian Open, while Angelique Kerber is keeping her cards close to her chest ahead of the women’s final on Saturday. 1 and 3 in the next women’s rankings. However it will be of concern to her as she searches for a maiden Grand Slam title that she keeps falling short and questions will remain as to whether she will ever win one of the four slams.
“I’ve played an unbelievable first two sets but that’s what is necessary against Roger”.
Djokovic says he struggled at times against Federer.
Kerber will be the first left-handed player Serena has faced in Melbourne and the American isn’t looking past Kerber’s quarterfinals victory over 14th-seeded Azarenka. “I came up with the right intensity, great concentration”.
Federer had 18 winners in the set, to just eight for Djokovic. “He can get one or two sets all of a sudden”.
She, then, had been bidding to reach her second grand slam final after Wimbledon in 2012. Kerber, who has spent four solid years in the top 10, is the debutante this time, but at 28.
Serena Williams has needed just 64 minutes to end the challenge of fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska and advance to the final.
The win will move her to a tie with Steffi Graf for the most in the Open era. “I blinked my eye and I was down 1-5, ” Williams said. Again, I haven’t won this one. “So I felt like I really committed myself, and I need to commit myself and my body and take some time off, restart”.
Despite all her success, it is a loss that is inspiring Williams in this tournament. She would probably make a good poker player given that her expression rarely changes in matches. Scarily dominant in this year’s tournament, Williams is the overwhelming favourite to win her seventh Australian Open title and collect her 22nd Grand Slam trophy, tying the record of Kerber’s compatriot Steffi Graf.
Despite her dominance at the Australian Open, Williams has never won the title here without dropping a set.
Williams also admitted that she was surprised to reach another Grand Slam final so soon after the disappointment at the US Open and the extended offseason.
Against Radwanska, the top seed was untouchable and she will go into the decider knowing that of her 25 previous major finals, she has won 21. Williams said she would implement the lessons taken from her crushing disappointment against Vinci last September, but that in another respect, little had changed. “They are always behind you when it was not so good”, Kerber said. “But I didn’t think I’d be doing so much, so fast; so thank you so much for all of your support”, Williams added, addressing the crowd and her fanbase, known as “Rena’s Army”.
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The 26-year-old Radwanska lost the first set in just 20 minutes on Rod Laver Arena before she got some momentum back in the second set but was unable to stop Williams’ march to her seventh final at Melbourne Park.
