The American will be looking to lift this years US open title at Flushing Meadows
Tennis player Serena Williams appears at U.S. Open Arthur Ashe Kids Day at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
New York: Serena Williams is taking nothing for granted as she vies for a third straight US Open title, which would put her alongside two greats of the game.
The 32-year-old once known for stepping up her game when it mattered most has thrice been thwarted in 2014 in her bid to join Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova as 18-time Grand Slam singles champions.
Although she has lifted five WTA trophies this year, she has failed to make it past the fourth round at the Australian Open, French Open or Wimbledon.
So she sounded wary of the suggestion that a return to Flushing Meadows, where she has won five US Open titles, would produce Major number 18. “Yeah, Australian, Wimbledon, and French also could have been 18,” she said.
“Didn’t quite happen.” But Williams was firing on all cylinders as she won two hardcourt titles in the buildup to the Open, signalling she won’t surrender her crown without a fight.
An actual 22-year-old, Simona Halep, will be among those trying to topple Williams in New York. The Romanian has been knocking at the door of a first Grand Slam title this year, finishing runner-up to Maria Sharapova at Roland Garros.
Halep also reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and the semi-finals at Wimbledon as she climbed to number two in the world.
Williams will also be challenged by more familiar foes, including Sharapova. Sharapova’s appetite is only greater after she missed last year’s US Open with a shoulder injury that brought her season to a premature close.
( Source : AFP )
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