Serena Williams is just one month shy of her 35th birthday but like Novak Djokovic, still has the kind of game which can overpower others when she’s in form.
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Now attention will focus squarely on how they are able to negotiate through their maladies, at least in the early rounds.
Kerber, a German compatriot of Graf, had her chance to snatch top spot last week by winning the Cincinnati title but faltered in the final, a slip-up which kept her at No. 2 heading into NY. “At the end of the day, I knew I gave the best effort I could, and it just wasn’t enough”.
A straight-sets win over Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon final may have eased some of the pressure Williams was feeling, but it’s been far from smooth sailing since. If Kerber makes the final, then Williams has to beat her there.
In the game, players take control of an 8-bit Serena and take on a variety of opponents.
“I’ve played a lot of tennis and played a lot of matches”.
As is usually the case with Williams, there is a lot at stake.
Williams, 34, has 22 Grand Slam singles titles to her name, putting her in a tie with Steffi Graf for most by any woman in the Open Era.
The British No 1 reckons he can keep playing top-flight tennis for four more years, maximum.
World number two Angelique Kerber, the Australian Open champion who can dethrone six-time US Open victor Williams as world number one in NY, opens against Polona Hercog of Slovenia. But after an uncomfortable practice there, the aching shoulder forced Williams to withdraw. Australian Open champ Angelique Kerber and French Open victor Garbine Muguruza are on the other side of the draw. Should Williams and Kerber both falter, either Garbine Muguruza or Agnieszka Radwanska could overtake both of them.
Williams was handed a challenging first-round matchup against Ekaterina Makarova, ranked No. 36. The 26-year-old will definitely be a threat to the top contenders, especially having made it to US Open finals once prior in 2014.
Twelve months after her bid for the coveted calendar-year grand slam ended with a shock defeat to Roberta Vinci of Italy in the U.S. Open semi-finals, the world number one is back, chasing another piece of history. “After that I told myself that I would never let pressure get the better of me again”, she said. “But she is working hard and recovering well”.
For Novak Djokovic – who also won the Australian and French Open this year – THREE is the magic number.
Del Potro, 2009 US Open victor, has been handed a wild card after his impressive return to tennis after multiple surgeries to his knee and wrist.
Nadal played with his troublesome left wrist heavily bandaged and, while he seemed unrestricted, hitting 14 of his 21 winners off the forehand, the 30-year-old said he still lacks confidence on that side.
“The wrist hasn’t been in an ideal state for the last three and a half weeks”, he said.
Doing an interview shortly after the draw was set, Djokovic joked he wasn’t “mentally ready” to see his bracket quite yet and wanted to wait until “I’m alone”.
Djokovic has admitted he is still suffering from the wrist injury that hampered him at the Olympics and there will be great interest in the top seed’s early-round performances.
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But despite the ups and downs, Djokovic said the Wimbledon loss may work in his favour.
