Serena Williams

Serena Williams Wins Record 23rd Major By Beating Sister Venus At Australian Open

... on Saturday, Venus walked over to her sister's side of the net for a hug. "This was a tough one," Serena said. "I really would like to take this moment to congratulate Venus, she's an amazing person — she's my inspiration. "There's no way I would be at 23 without her — there's no way I would be at one without her. Thank you Venus for inspiring me to be the best player I can be and inspiring me to work hard.". Asked if it felt awkward to be on the receiving end of so many losses to her sister, the 36-year-old Venus didn't flinch. "No, because I guess I've been here before," she said. "I really enjoy seeing the name Williams on the trophy. This is a beautiful thing.". Venus won the last of her seven majors in 2008 at Wimbledon. She didn't make the second week of a major for a few years as she came to terms with an energy-sapping illness after being diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome in 2011. And she only made it back to the semifinals last year at Wimbledon. Another shot at a first Australian Open title was a sign of progress, she said. "That's exactly where I want to be standing during these ...

Serena Williams Stands Alone Atop Modern Tennis After Winning Australian Open

... a big-surprise finalist? Answers: when she hasn’t reached one since 2008, when she spent 2011 to 2014 never reaching a Grand Slam quarterfinal, when she battled an autoimmune condition and became an afterthought, when she arrived in Melbourne coming off an arm injury in New Zealand and told reporters of reaching a final, “I mean, honestly, all the signs didn’t look that way in Auckland.”. It meant that after a match Serena Williams controlled narrowly but firmly, Venus Williams got to stand behind her as the younger sibling said, “There’s no way I would be at 23 without her; there’s no way I would be at one without her,” and, “She’s the only reason that I’m standing here today,” and, “Every time you won this week, I felt like I got a win, too.” From their hair beads as the teenage daughters of ...

Is She Your Greatest Female Player Of The Open Era

... 22. Barker: "She is the greatest athlete that has ever played the game. Steffi made everything look effortless and incredibly graceful. The big forehand was her trademark. "She was great for the game and we needed someone like her to take the game forward. However, I do feel she was in an era where she was not well challenged because Gabriela Sabatini went away and then so did Monica Seles after her stabbing. We never saw a great rivalry develop.". Martina Navratilova - 18. Barker: "Martina was the first person who changed the physical side of the women's game. While we all just went for a three-mile run, she started doing training off court - she did specific gym exercises and built up muscles which we hadn't seen before. She dominated, and the other players had to change. "Her serve-volley was exceptional. I don't think there has been a better serve-volleyer in the women's game at the top level.". Chris Evert - 18. Barker: "She was mentally so incredibly hard. To try to get past ...

Is Serena Williams The Goat

... time. The Australian Court's total stretched across both the amateur and open periods in the 1960 s and 1970 s. Court, Graf and Maureen Connolly are the only players to have completed a Grand Slam by winning all four majors in a calendar year. But Williams and Martina Navratilova are among a group of 10 who have won the Australian, French and US Opens, and Wimbledon across their careers and both have held all four titles at the same time. Navratilova could have perhaps added more Australian Open victories to her haul, had she treated the tournament as seriously as the other majors during a time when it was regarded as the 'poor cousin'. Williams acknowledged she is at least one of the greatest in history, following her 6-4, 6-4 triumph over sister Venus in Saturday night's Australian Open final in Melbourne, however she stopped short of saying she stands alone. "I definitely think so," she said. "Between Martina (Navratilova), myself, Steffi Graf, hands down we are leading that conversation.". Court's record ...

Five Thoughts On Serena's Historic Win Over Venus

... 23 rd Grand Slam title. • “Grand Slam singles titles won” have become the coin of the realm in tennis, the benchmark by which we judge players. At some level, it’s silly. How do we account for tennis before the Open Era, when the best players didn’t enter the majors? And what do we make of the Australian Open, an event that everyone loves today but was considered optional until the late 1980 s? (Martina Navratilova skipped it more years than she played it.) One beneficiary of this: Margaret Court, whose record 24 majors include 11 Australian Opens, many won in the era when it was glorified national event. Nevertheless, Serena now has 23 majors, moving ahead of Steffi Graf and one behind Court. You could have made the case years ago, that Serena is the best ever. But now? Case closed. She gets bonus points for longevity—she’s now won majors spanning 18 years and six presidential terms. But enough about the past. What about the present/future? She’s No.1 in the rankings. She hasn’t lost before the semifinals at a major in three years. If she’s not still in her prime, ...

Sisters Serena And Venus Williams Chalk Up $33,000 Bill In Auckland Luxury Hotel Suites

... before the quarterfinals, ordered food in most days from fine-dining restaurants. It is understood they ordered most days from Al Brown's Depot and Ostro - both fine-dining restaurants, and clocked up other expenses. Tennis Auckland foots accommodation for all players. READ MORE. Serena and Venus Williams clocked up a $33,000 hotel bill during their stay in Auckland. All other women's players stayed at the Pullman Hotel. News of the bill comes after the sisters faced off on Saturday night, with Serena claiming the Australian Open final and her record 23 rd grand slam title in Melbourne. The Auckland bill is additional to substantial appearance fees paid to both players. Serena stayed six nights, while Venus hung around longer to perform promotional and sponsorship duties. Ad Feedback. ASB Classic tournament director Karl Budge confirmed the bill, saying it was part of the deal with hosting superstar ...

Serena Sets Up Dream Australian Open Final With Lucic-baroni Win

... her more favoured opponent during Thursday morning's tie. The world No 79, who has resurrected her career after a lengthy period of personal trauma, was into her second grand slam semi-final, 18 years after her last at Wimbledon in 1999. 'She's an inspiration and really deserves all the credit,' Williams said. 'I'm honoured to play her, she played so hard to get this far and after everything she's gone through, she inspires me.'. On her title match with Venus, she added: 'She's my toughest opponent, no-one has ever beaten me as much as Venus has. She has a pretty good record against me. Williams began the second set in the same style, blitzing her way into a huge advantage. The Croatian was completely unable to match up to Williams on Thursday morning. 'No matter what happens we've won, she's been through a lot, I've been through a lot. To see her do so well it's great so I look forward to it. A Williams is going ...

Williams' Latest Sister Act In Australian Open Final 'will Be Like War', Says Serena’s Coach Patrick Mouratoglou

... separated by a very similar age gap: a fraction over 15 months. All four have reached No 1 in the world. Another parallel lies in the younger sibling’s more eye-catching record. The sense of always being behind, of having a built-in handicap, engenders both motivation and resilience. As Venus told an interviewer: “I was always really very, very good. Serena was small, really slim and the racket was way too big for her.”. In a classic hare-and-tortoise scenario, Serena has since eclipsed her big sister’s achievements. Win on Saturday, and she will have a 23 rd major title, placing her one ahead of Steffi Graf and one behind Margaret Court. Watch | Serena Williams vs Venus Williams. Do not expect anything gentle, suggested Serena’s coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. “They will go on court and it will be war,” he predicted. “It is like two very competitive sisters who ...

Serena Williams Beats Mirjana Lučić-baroni In Australian Open Semi-final

... and we look forward to bringing you all the live action then. Serena Williams will meet her sister Venus in the 2017 Australian Open final after a 6-2, 6-1 demolition of Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP. Serena Williams is into the Australian Open final against sister Venus. Serena Williams defeats Mirjana Lučić-Baroni 6-2, 6-1. With one final break of serve Serena Williams has booked herself an Australian Open final date against her sister Venus, a quite remarkable turn of events. Serena won this won 6-2, 6-1 in just 50 minutes of almost faultless tennis, breaking one final time to seal it and just blowing her opponent away. This was not even remotely competitive, and if she maintains this relentless form it’s going to be one hell of a job for her sister in the final. Serena Williams wins the first set 6-2 in 25 minutes. 1 st set: Mirjana Lučić-Baroni* 2-6 Serena Williams (*denotes next server). Williams takes the first set now, continuing her perfect record on her first serve and further stamping ...

Serena Vs Venus Australian Open 2017 Result

... bad break with the net cord and Venus is on the scoreboard in this game. Venus draws level, firing some shots across the net and finding the corner with a backhand that Serena can only dump long. But it's game point with an ace out wide. Good rally, Venus giving as good as she's got and Serena eventually swings long. Deuce. Net cord against Serena this time and as she aims for the corner she puts it wide. Break point Venus. Long again, and we're back on level terms. Venus 0-1* Serena. Venus finds herself 0-30 down after a couple of unforced errors and responds with an ace down the T. But she's got two break points to contend with, serve straight at Serena is deposited with venom. And she has the break! Venus has the entire court to aim at, Serena follows it and fires a cross-court winner. What a start. Venus to serve. MIKE DICKSON: It is a very pleasant early evening in Melbourne for part one of ...