Serena Williams’ on-court outburst in her US Open semi final defeat by Kim Clijsters might be bad news for her rivals. The biggest threat to the 11-time Grand Slam winner’s status as the world’s best player is her own motivation. That doesn’t seem to be a problem at the moment.
There was always the suspicion that both Serena and her sister might fall out of love with the sport, exhausted by the tour treadmill and enticed by their interests in fashion and other areas. Even their father expected them to retire early and avoid the burnout and injury-enforced climax to careers that were experienced by major rivals Justine Henin and Martina Hingis.
However, both players, Serena especially, are still going strong. 11 years separates her first and latest major victory, which reveals a longevity that looks set to continue. If Serena’s ill-judged tirade at the line judge in Flushing Meadows is anything to go by, the fire in the belly is still burning strong.
Her outburst was the bad manifestation of her famed fighting spirit. We saw the best of it at Wimbledon, when she somehow fought back from match point down to beat an inspired Elena Dementieva, which helped her become the first player to win three Grand Slams after saving match in the tournament.
Williams will have plenty to prove next season. She will want to show that her outburst was a one-off and that she can play with humility, although she will also be privately fuming at the injustice of the foot-fault call itself and the reaction of some commentators.
Kim Clijsters has stolen some of Williams’ limelight and it is no bad thing to have another rival to keep her honest in major Womens' tennis tournaments. She will be desperate to get back on the trophy-winning trail. All are big motivating factors – bad news for her rivals.
Original Story:
http://www.sportsloungeblog.com/2009/...
There was always the suspicion that both Serena and her sister might fall out of love with the sport, exhausted by the tour treadmill and enticed by their interests in fashion and other areas. Even their father expected them to retire early and avoid the burnout and injury-enforced climax to careers that were experienced by major rivals Justine Henin and Martina Hingis.
However, both players, Serena especially, are still going strong. 11 years separates her first and latest major victory, which reveals a longevity that looks set to continue. If Serena’s ill-judged tirade at the line judge in Flushing Meadows is anything to go by, the fire in the belly is still burning strong.
Her outburst was the bad manifestation of her famed fighting spirit. We saw the best of it at Wimbledon, when she somehow fought back from match point down to beat an inspired Elena Dementieva, which helped her become the first player to win three Grand Slams after saving match in the tournament.
Williams will have plenty to prove next season. She will want to show that her outburst was a one-off and that she can play with humility, although she will also be privately fuming at the injustice of the foot-fault call itself and the reaction of some commentators.
Kim Clijsters has stolen some of Williams’ limelight and it is no bad thing to have another rival to keep her honest in major Womens' tennis tournaments. She will be desperate to get back on the trophy-winning trail. All are big motivating factors – bad news for her rivals.
Original Story:
http://www.sportsloungeblog.com/2009/...
