'Serena'de of Victory: Williams Wins US Open 2014
'Serena'de of Victory: Williams Wins US Open 2014
Serena Williams has just joined the ranks of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert to become fourth on the list of maximum Grand Slam winners. Winning her 18th Grand Slam and her third US Open final, Serena fought the good fight with Caroline Wozniacki at the other end battling valiantly to win what what have been a shot at a first Grand Slam title.
While Serena is the current World Number 1, Caroline is a former holder of the numero uno rank. The US open finals were played at the Arthur Ashe stadium court in NY. With a lot at stake for both the players, this was a match for sore eyes. Every play and each shot was sheer poetry in motion. Williams began on a strong note and did not give up her dominance at any point during the match.
She did not slow down after taking the first 2 sets in a 6-3,6-3 combination. She did not yield even a single set to Wozniacki during the entire match. Williams was a wonderful sight to behold as she played with the grit and might that befits a champion like her. NYT also spoke of the “Queen of Queens” and her powerful strokes that won her the US Open title this year.
Williams won 80% of her first serve points according to statistical analysts who broke the match into numbers. Serena has also been calculated to have gotten in 76% of her returns. She also fought back and broke Wozniacki's chances of landing the US title this year. Serena lost her serve just 6 times in the entire duration of the match.
Serena had fought equally hard during her previous matches in the French Open and Wimbledon , but it was tough for her to bounce back and try to win these matches. But she did reach the fourth round of the Australian Open. It was vintage Serena at the US Open this year as Williams gained her 18th Grand Slam title, which is no easy feat.
Now Williams is just behind Margaret Court, Helen Wills Moody and Steffi Graf when it comes to winning the most Grand Slam titles. This places her with Evert and Navratilova now. She has won 6 US Open titles in the Open era which puts her in the same league as Evert for yet another record.
In another first record of its kind, Williams will take home the highest prize money ever given to athletes in professional tennis. As per the WTA site, “Serena will receive a $4 million payout, the largest payout in tennis history, men's or women's. That's made up of $3 million for winning the title plus $1 million for winning the Emirates Airline US Open Series. Serena herself and Rafael Nadal had the previous record of $3.6 million."
Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki will live to fight yet another match and hopefully, Grand Slam titles will be within reach soon again. She has to motivate herself and stay away from the detractors. With analysts citing personal reasons behind her plunge, Wozniacki has more to fight back than just the contenders on the tennis court. One hopes she makes it through.
