Murray’s consistency on the tour in recent weeks is in stark contrast to the rollercoaster fortunes of Djokovic, the defending champion in NY.
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Williams said she measures herself constantly, “which I don’t think is normal”.
“It’s not easy to do that”.
I hope I’m still playing like this when I’m 38 years old. but it’s pretty unlikely. You have to make the most of every opportunity. “I was like, how did I win?”
At 29, three-time major victor Murray admits he is taking positives from being in the twilight of his career.
Her serve, so often problematic in her career, had been shaky in round two of qualifying but it was far more consistent against Maria, delivering 65 per cent at the first attempt and producing only four double faults.
“That’s something that I have learned as I got older; whereas before when I was younger it was different”.
Fourth-seeded Rafa Nadal, victor of 14 slams, and fifth seed Milos Raonic of Canada could clash in the quarters for a possible semi-finals showdown with Djokovic.
“There is a little bit of danger in that one, but maybe that is a good thing for Andy to get his mind firmly set on the tournament”.
The expectations proved too heavy a burden when the 12-time major victor was dumped out of Wimbledon in the third round for his earliest loss at a major in seven years.
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have seemingly put a gap between themselves and fellow “Big Four” members Nadal and the injured Roger Federer entering the grand slam, which opens Tuesday.
“I don’t know how he’s [Djokovic] feeling”.
“I think I just am more relaxed, for sure”.
Serena Williams is heading into the US Open with the burden of history on her shoulders.
After equaling Steffi Graf for the most Grand Slam titles in the professional era (which dates to 1968) by winning Wimbledon last month, Williams now can break that tie by earning No. 23 in NY.
Disappointing Olympic performances aside, Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic are the No. 1 seeds for the U.S. Open, which begins on Monday and once again, they will make for a compelling tournament.
“More importantly, she’s playing for breaking my record of six US Opens”, joked Evert, referring to Serena shooting for a seventh US Open title.
Williams is devastated when she is dealt a setback, such as last year’s loss to No. 43 Roberta Vinci in the U.S. Open semifinals, a defeat that ended her bid for the first calendar-year Grand Slam in more than 25 years.
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Williams, recovering from a shoulder injury that contributed to her third-round exit in Rio, drew Russian lefthander Ekaterina Makarova as her first opponent. Few expected Kerber to experience a career resurgence and play the best tennis she’s ever had as she approaches the age of 30, and nobody guessed Muguruza would have the resolve to take down Williams at the French Open.
