Sunday, September 08, 2002
Serena Williams: The best ever?
By STEVE WILSTEIN
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK — She's No. 1 in the family, the world and, arguably, the history of women's tennis.
Dancing from clay to grass to hardcourt in a sizzling summer of Grand Slam triumphs, Serena Williams leaped into an elite circle of champions and made a case for being the best woman ever to play the game.
And she's getting better all the time.
It takes a rare talent to win the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in succession. Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King and Margaret Smith were the only ones to do it in the Open era.
Serena joined them Saturday night after taking out her big sister, Venus, the two-time defending champion, 6-4, 6-3 in a final that was more historic than dramatic.
Nothing fazes Serena. Not a stalker who was arrested early in the tournament. Not the pressure of sustaining a Grand Slam winning streak that has reached 21 matches. Not the glitz of a final night with champions all around the court, celebrities in the stands, a prime-time television audience watching, and Venus across the net.
Serena's nerves and serves were steady and she launched her body into attacking shots with utter abandon, her feet off the ground, her bleached blond tresses flying, her thick arm and leg muscles gleaming in the lights. She aimed for the lines and frequently hit them.
Three weeks shy of her 21st birthday, Serena won her second U.S. Open and fourth major with a synthesis of power, control, athleticism and tennis savvy that no woman has ever displayed.
Over long careers, Graf and Navratilova are still the champions to beat. They dominated their eras, amassed extraordinary records and had greater single seasons than Serena had this year. Graf swept the four Grand Slam tournaments in 1988. Navratilova won 74 straight matches in 1984. But neither of them, in their prime, could match Serena's serves, foot speed or strength.
Graf and Navratilova only occasionally served faster than 100 mph. Serena does it all the time on first serves, and is often over 110 mph. Her top speed against Venus was 117, and she had only one double-fault. Venus clocked a couple of 120 mph serves, but she double-faulted 10 times.
Graf and Navratilova were faster afoot than any of the women of their time. Venus is faster than they were, and Serena is faster still, reaching balls neither of them would have touched. She can pound winners from the baseline, whack volleys from midcourt, and drill overheads at the net.
If Graf or Navratilova or Evert had an edge over Serena in setting up points and putting away winners, she's catching up quickly. She's learned to harness her power and create points with smart play.
Serena and Venus are even in Grand Slam trophies with four apiece. They could conceivably trade titles and the No. 1 and No. 2 rankings for years. Very little separates them while the gulf is growing between them and the rest of the tour.
But there are hints that suggest Serena will be the one to dominate, that she's more comfortable than Venus in the spotlight and under pressure and that she wants it more.
Venus spoke after the match of being tired, mentally and physically, and needing a break. She's often mentioned having other interests, like fashion design, and a reluctance to have a long tennis career. Losing to her younger sister frequently may be more dispiriting than losing to other players.
“I just had to tune out everything,” Venus said wearily. “People just wear you to death and talk so much. I just want to get away from the hype. I think Serena likes the attention.
“She's more of an outgoing person than I am. Everyone has their year, and this is her year. Next year could be her year also. I don't know. But I'm glad she's done well.”
Serena was spurred from an early age by Venus' success, and all the more in the past year after watching her sister surge to No. 1. Now there seems to be no stopping Serena.
“I really wanted to stay No. 1,” she said. “I knew that everything was on the line. I'm going to have some fun next year, that's for sure.”
The difference between her now and 1999, when she won the U.S. Open the first time as a precocious 17-year-old, can be measured in every facet of her game: strength, speed, strokes and strategy.
“I'm more mature and more relaxed,” she said. “I'm a better player, obviously. I have more fun with what I do. I'm not as stressed out there as I used to be.”
Navratilova was at courtside watching her. Evert came out to flip the coin for serve before the start of the match. Graf didn't stick around to watch, but she was at courtside earlier in the day as her husband, Andre Agassi, beat Lleyton Hewitt to set up a men's final against Pete Sampras.
Those three women's champions own records that Serena might never match. But if they were on a court together, all in their prime, Serena would take them apart.
———
Steve Wilstein is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at swilstein@ap.org
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Serena Williams: The best ever?
