Dark clouds over Serena Williams
future
American tennis legend Serena Williams was lucky enough to grab quick attention of the tennis circles when she had made her professional career debut in 1995. She looked a complete and sound player at such a young age, defeating two World
Top 10 players, No. 7 Pierce and then No. 5 Monica Seles at Chicago in 1997, to become the lowest ranked player ever to humiliate a Top 5 player after Stephanie Rehe humbled No 3 Gabriela Sabatini in 1990. In 1998, she ousted sixth seed Irina Spirlea in her
first Grand Slam appearance. Serena, the World Tennis Association (WTA) No 7 then, devastated World No. 1 Martina Hingis, No. 2 Lindsay Davenport and No. 4 Monica Seles to claim her first Grand Slam title. The American star dominated the year 2002-03 with
four consecutive Grand Slam titles. This was just a beginning; Serena came to be known as a dominant force in the tennis world, sealing 37 career titles including 13 Grand Slams.
However, fitness worries kept Serena out of many major tournaments throughout her career. She withdrew from the Australian Open in 2002 after her ankle injury and in 2004 due to her left knee problems. More tournaments were missed by her
during the same season which left her supporters speculating that she might be losing interest in the sport. But William made a comeback after eight months at the Tier I in Florida to beat World No. 8 Elena Dementieva in the final but her progress was hampered
again when she retired before her third round match at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston suffering from the same problem. In French Open 2004 semifinal, she lost to World No. 9, and then was disgusted in Wimbledon 2004 final when young Russian star Maria
Sharapova defeated her in straight sets 6-1, 6-4. The 2004 WTA championships witnessed the American No. 1 again beaten by Maria Sharapova 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 due to an abdominal injury, making her serve at 65 mph. Although Williams won the Australian Open 2005 by
defeating World No.1, she surprisingly missed her next five tournaments. She stayed off the court continuously, saying that she did not feel well enough to play which finally caused her ranking to fall out of the top 100 for the first time since 1998. Serena
made several comebacks in her career but her win against World No.1 Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open 2006 final marks her greatest career accomplishment.
Thereafter, Serena dominated most of the competitions she participated in from 2007 and 2010, winning six more Grand Slams to become World. No 1 again but her fitness and health concerns have never allowed her to register her name in the
list of the all-time greatest tennis champions. Her continuous knee and foot injuries brought her future under clouds. In this era of uncertainty, the women tennis is in need of a leader, especially after Serena’s failure to take part in the US Open 2010 and
Australian Open 2011. At 30 years of age, it is going to be tough challenge for the unhealthy American veteran to cope with the tight and busy schedule.
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