On paper, it should be a walk in the park for Serena Williams. World No. 1 against world number 13. Williams has a chance of getting closer to greatness – if she wins the 2015 French Open, her total tally of Grand Slam titles goes up to 20, only two off the record-holder Steffi Graf, who has 22. In contrast, her opponent, Lucie Safarova is making her debut in a Grand Slam final.
But as the countdown to Saturday’s French Open Women’s Singles final begins, there’s more worry in the Williams camp than Safarova’s. On any other day, Williams would have been expected to crush Safarova. But after her pained, laborious victory over Timea Bacsinskzy in the semi-final, where at one point she looked as though she might even collapse, there is worry over whether Williams will have regained enough fitness to deliver the goods on Saturday.
Serena huffs and puffs...but comes through
It’s a testament to Serena Williams’ mental strength that she emerged the victor in the semi-final.
With temperatures touching 27 degrees and Williams suffering from flu, she looked distinctly uncomfortably throughout the match. Her game was punctuated by sharp coughing fits and she was dragging her feet around the court – an alien sight to tennis fans who are used to her energy.
At 3-2 down in the second set, after having lost the first, it seemed the end was nigh. Williams looked close to tears during the changeover. It seemed physically impossible for her to come back into the game.
But Serena Williams isn’t ranked number one for nothing. Despite being nowhere close to her best, she simply drew on her vast reserves of mental strength and won the next ten games on the trot. At the end, the scoreline read 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.
As she trudged off the field after her victory, Williams was unable to even acknowledge the cheers which resounded around the stadium. Another coughing fit ended her post-match interview.
Though Williams has a one-day break to recuperate, concern is over whether she can recover quickly enough to take on a player who might not be rated very highly, but has been making heads swim recently.
Safarova rising
With a 0-8 head to head record against Williams, Safarova's chances shouldn't really count for much.
Her recent form, however, belies that record. Her run to the final has involved eliminating both Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic, without dropping a set in each case. What has been more impressive has been her capacity to fight back – in the semi-final against Ivanovic (who’s currently ranked seventh), Safarova was down and almost out, trailing 2-5 in the first set before bouncing back to win 7-5, 7-5.
Safarova’s career, which seemed destined to remain in the shadows, has got a fillip recently. She might be making her debut in a Grand Slam final, but she appeared at the Wimbledon semi-final in 2014 and has gone beyond the third round in four of her last five major tournaments.
It’s a difficult fact to swallow, but Williams has had a far more difficult tournament than Safarova, no doubt because of her illness. In her run to the final, Williams hasn’t dropped the first set in just two matches – in the first round and in the quarter-final. She hasn’t been able to start well, but has managed to recover and close out ties.
Despite that, Safarova will have her task cut out. As Williams showed in her game against Bacsinskzy, she may not be at the top of her game physically, but she still has plenty in reserve to take her through. Her tremendous determination can carry her through matches even if she starts off badly.
It all depends, though, on Williams’ recuperation. If she makes even a slight recovery, Willams will dominate Safarova with her powerful serve, among the best ever seen in the women’s game. However much Safarova may have improved, she’s not going to be able to deal with that. On the other hand, if Williams has another day like the semi-finals, Safarova might be in with a chance to become the first ever Czech player to win a French Open title.
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But as the countdown to Saturday’s French Open Women’s Singles final begins, there’s more worry in the Williams camp than Safarova’s. On any other day, Williams would have been expected to crush Safarova. But after her pained, laborious victory over Timea Bacsinskzy in the semi-final, where at one point she looked as though she might even collapse, there is worry over whether Williams will have regained enough fitness to deliver the goods on Saturday.
Serena huffs and puffs...but comes through
It’s a testament to Serena Williams’ mental strength that she emerged the victor in the semi-final.
With temperatures touching 27 degrees and Williams suffering from flu, she looked distinctly uncomfortably throughout the match. Her game was punctuated by sharp coughing fits and she was dragging her feet around the court – an alien sight to tennis fans who are used to her energy.
At 3-2 down in the second set, after having lost the first, it seemed the end was nigh. Williams looked close to tears during the changeover. It seemed physically impossible for her to come back into the game.
But Serena Williams isn’t ranked number one for nothing. Despite being nowhere close to her best, she simply drew on her vast reserves of mental strength and won the next ten games on the trot. At the end, the scoreline read 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.
As she trudged off the field after her victory, Williams was unable to even acknowledge the cheers which resounded around the stadium. Another coughing fit ended her post-match interview.
Though Williams has a one-day break to recuperate, concern is over whether she can recover quickly enough to take on a player who might not be rated very highly, but has been making heads swim recently.
Safarova rising
With a 0-8 head to head record against Williams, Safarova's chances shouldn't really count for much.
Her recent form, however, belies that record. Her run to the final has involved eliminating both Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic, without dropping a set in each case. What has been more impressive has been her capacity to fight back – in the semi-final against Ivanovic (who’s currently ranked seventh), Safarova was down and almost out, trailing 2-5 in the first set before bouncing back to win 7-5, 7-5.
Safarova’s career, which seemed destined to remain in the shadows, has got a fillip recently. She might be making her debut in a Grand Slam final, but she appeared at the Wimbledon semi-final in 2014 and has gone beyond the third round in four of her last five major tournaments.
It’s a difficult fact to swallow, but Williams has had a far more difficult tournament than Safarova, no doubt because of her illness. In her run to the final, Williams hasn’t dropped the first set in just two matches – in the first round and in the quarter-final. She hasn’t been able to start well, but has managed to recover and close out ties.
Despite that, Safarova will have her task cut out. As Williams showed in her game against Bacsinskzy, she may not be at the top of her game physically, but she still has plenty in reserve to take her through. Her tremendous determination can carry her through matches even if she starts off badly.
It all depends, though, on Williams’ recuperation. If she makes even a slight recovery, Willams will dominate Safarova with her powerful serve, among the best ever seen in the women’s game. However much Safarova may have improved, she’s not going to be able to deal with that. On the other hand, if Williams has another day like the semi-finals, Safarova might be in with a chance to become the first ever Czech player to win a French Open title.
