IF Germany’s Angelique Kerber was looking for a crumb of comfort as she prepared to face Serena Williams in the final of the Australian Open then it is to be hoped she has not been listening to Patrick Mouratoglou.
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Kerber said she would need to play aggressively from the first point or Williams would hit a series of winners like she did against Radwanska, who appeared shell-shocked during their first games.
She will be ranked a career-best fourth by the end of the tournament, and could be two if she becomes the first German to clinch a major since Graf won the last of her slams at Roland Garros in 1999.
“I thought she played unbelievable in that match”.
Owning a flawless 6-0 record in Australian Open finals, Williams is on her most dominant run to the final in Melbourne to date, having dropped just 26 games this fortnight.
“I just really wanted to focus on when I first walk out there to be ready to go from the first point, then that way I don’t necessarily have to play from behind”, she said, before adding for emphasis, “which I can do clearly, and I proved that previous year”.
German seventh seed Kerber is playing in her first Grand Slam final, compared to Williams’ 26th. She was buoyed by a new-found self-belief inspired by fellow German Graf, who practiced with the 28-year-old last year. I saw the match against (Agnieszka Radwanska) yesterday.
Williams has taken plenty from her experience at Flushing Meadows a year ago, when she was expected to complete the Grand Slam before a shock loss to Roberta Vinci in the last four.
Williams is attempting to win her 22nd grand slam women’s title, which would tie her with Steffi Graf for the most major wins in the Open era.
“I was the favourite in NY. I feel like I could have done better in NY”, she said. That’s why she is the victor and I’m not today.
“I had a lot of challenges here also in this tournament where I was really nervous”.
The pair has met six times, Kerber’s sole success coming in Cincinnati in 2012. The Brit took advantage of her draw and pulled off some upsets of her own to fire her way to the semis.
“I think she is going out there to try to win again another Grand Slam, making history. I just watch TV”, she said, admitting that her public profile sometimes deterred her from venturing out.
“Now I’m back in the top five”.
“It hasn’t been routine because every match for me is hard, and every match is not easy”, Williams said. But what makes this final a very interesting one is the fact that everyone wants to see the underdog win. “I will try to enjoy the final and hopefully play good”. “I think I show everybody that I deserve it. That’s a good feeling”.
Only time will tell if Kerber can be a threat on her biggest stage yet.
“Serena is more powerful, and she has more weapons all-round… compared to Steffi, who had her forehand”.
Speaking to regional media in a phone interview from Melbourne, where the 2013 Wimbledon champion is now a pundit for Fox Sports Asia, Bartoli said: “For Serena, her weapons are still way too good”.
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“When I was serving, everything is just going to your side with that kind of power, so deep that you can not do anything”.
