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Serena shoulders burden of history at US Open

The old one has been closed, but with the new designed one having a circular massive treat for players as well as fan and tennis community alike, it is definitely something not to be missed.

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Outside of the top two, five-time champion Roger Federer, who has played every US Open since 2000, called time on his season after a five-set defeat to Raonic at Wimbledon.

World No. 1 Williams was denied a first calendar Grand Slam when she was sensationally beaten by Roberta Vinci at the semi-final stage last September.

The German defeated Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the Australian Open final in January.

Williams’s bid to retain her Olympic singles title ended in Rio de Janeiro this month when she was sent crashing out of the third round by Elina Svitolina.

Things haven’t been rosy since.

Once again, history is on the line for Serena Williams at the U.S. Open. “But there is nothing you can do about it and I am going to try to make the best of every single opportunity that I have to play”. “That’s all I can do now”.

“The pressure, for sure, is maybe a little bit higher, but if I’m not putting the pressure on myself, everything is fine”, the world number two said.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic and fellow two-time victor Rafael Nadal were drawn for a potential US Open semi-final clash on Friday. It’s not necessarily a big deal to her that she has spent the past 31/2 years entrenched at No. 1 and at 34 is the oldest woman to top the WTA rankings.

“She will feel so much less pressure than past year, also because she won Wimbledon and has at least tied Graf”, Shriver said. “It gave me so much but took a lot out of me as well”, he said. Look for Williams’ service game, athleticism and experience to carry her to another US Open title.

The draw was made Friday and Williams could encounter fifth seed Simona Halep in the quarterfinals and big sister Venus, now 36, in the semifinals.

All in all, Djokovic’s issues figure to loom large as the tournament progresses, and therefore amounted to the most noteworthy development at Flushing Meadows, even if there were results of interest elsewhere. Nadal, who won the last of his 14 grand slams at the French Open in 2014, said the injury was getting better, albeit slowly. “I am starting to feel better so that’s a positive”.

Asked when her shoulder problems began, Williams replied: “Ironically enough, the day after the finals of Wimbledon”.

Serena Williams returns a serve from Daria Gavrilova, of Australia during an August 7 match at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Laura Robson has been handed an all-British clash against Naomi Broady at the US Open after she beat Germany’s Tatjana Maria to qualify for the first round.

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Stephens, who made the fourth round in NY in 2013, had been on a poor run of form in recent weeks.

Serena Williams will be going for her 23rd career Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open.			
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