However, Williams then showed her the power of her resolve, fighting back to level the scores at 4-4. Probably not soon. But perhaps someday.
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Born less than two months apart and both now 34 years of age, nothing seems to stem the insatiable appetite for titles of Roger Federer and Serena Williams. Of course, if that grass were at Wimbledon, Sharapova still would lose.
“He’s been playing always consistently well”.
Radwanska said she had little interest in scouting the Williams-Sharapova match.
Williams has now beaten Sharapova 18 times in row, and Sharapova has not defeated Williams since 2004.
What he said: “I had to weather the storm and take my opportunities”, Djokovic said on-court after the win.
“I think that’s the reason I am still playing, because I know that I’m capable, if I play well, of being on top”.
“Nothing’s guaranteed in sports”, said Williams. “I like the way she hits the ball”. Instead, the Polish fourth seed prefers to dissect her opponents with a thousand cuts, using her craft and variety as well as exceptional court sense. “Plus, when I play her, I know automatically I have to step up my game”, she said.
“I thought I played a good match”. “Very, very pleased”, Radwanska said in her on-court interview.
Not that either of those mattered. Nishikori came close to working his way back into the match, but was thwarted on two break points in the following game. That led to the possibility that this might finally be the day the streak ended. Standing in her way next is a player who will pose a very different test to that offered by Sharapova.
The world number one called for the doctor at the changeover but powered on stronger than ever in the second set, making it 12 games out of 15 as she sealed victory after one hour and 32 minutes. Since then Sharapova has not got a look-in.
Williams dropped four straight points to be broken in the opening game, with Sharapova holding for a 2-0 lead.
“It would mean a lot to me, no doubt about it”, Federer said Tuesday when asked about the significance of winning one more major in the era of Djokovic.
“It’s tough to sit here 30 minutes after the match and of course talk about the match, But that’s part of my job”. He’s one of the guys who makes you a better player. As long as you still have the passion and dedication to work hard, and obviously if you can stay injury-free, it’s possible’.
Serena Williams and Agnieszka Radwanska meet in the semifinal of the 2016 Australian Open.
Williams understandably likes to face Sharapova and she tries to explain her complete dominance over the Russian. Against Serena, as we all know, the return is one of her great strengths.
“It’s motivating because she’s at a different level”.
“It will be a good match”, continued Williams.
Williams, who also beat 2008 champion Sharapova in the final here last year, also won the French Open and Wimbledon in 2015 and got within two wins of a calendar-year Grand Slam before losing in the U.S. Open finals. – 3-17 against Williams.
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Williams woke up, however, and sent Sharapova into a temporary tailspin with a crushing return in the fourth game, later breaking for 2-2. What does she have to do to halt it? Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have played each other 13 times at majors, Federer and Nadal 11 and John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl 10.
