Serena Williams unleashed her true colours to capture gold at Olympics (Part One) – Tennis Special
The former world number one, Serena Williams, displayed flawless tennis at the London Olympics 2012, a major sports event taking place after every four years, to capture the gold medal and complete her career Golden Slam.
After conquering the Wimbledon Championships a month ago, Williams returned to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and maintained her intensity. She breezed past almost her entire rivals with a bagel or a breadstick to
steal the spotlight and achieve everything in tennis. Mustering her performance further, the veteran went on to clinch gold at the doubles event with her sister, Venus, and became the only two tennis players to grab four gold medals at the Olympics.
The 14th time Grand Slam singles champion, Williams shelved a total of 44 titles after clicking the London Olympics, becoming the holder of most titles amongst active players. As a result, she now stands at 10th
place in the Open Era for most number of singles title. The American is also the second player to complete a Golden Slam in tennis. The only other contender who achieved everything was Steffi Graf who was a gold medallist at Seoul in 1988.
Seeded fourth at this event, Williams high-spiritedly stepped into the London grass courts to face off her fellow former world number one, Jelena Jankovic from Serbia. After bagging the opener, the American got charged up for the
following set, ultimately clicking the match with a 6-3, 6-1 score line.
She smacked 20 winners and fired eight aces en route to gunning down the Serbian number two in 61 minutes.
The ecstatic American told reporters after clinching her opening round match:
"I was a little nervous in the first set, but once I got relaxed I played a little better. I actually think I played solid today. I felt the ball well. I missed a few shots, but at least I was going forward."
She carried her rhythm in the round of 32 where Poland’s Urszula Radwanska awaited. The American eased past the Pole in straight sets and jumped into the pre-quarters. Williams needed an hour and 13 minutes to formulate a 6-2,
6-3 success against the Pole.
"It was tough conditions today, a little windy, but I'm glad I was able to pull through," the American veteran commented after overpowering Radwanska, who recently cracked top-50 in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier
Rankings.
The American number one blasted barrage of powerful forehands and backhands to slaughter 13th seeded Vera Zvonareva in the third round. She lost only a single game and eventually sealed the deal with a superb 6-1, 6-0
victory.
“I was playing unbelievable. I felt good. I was relaxed. I felt no pressure out there. I had no idea I would play like this. I was a little surprised," said the beaming American after devastating Zvonareva.
Williams struck 32 winners as opposed to the Russian’s three and ruled throughout the 51-minute marathon. As a result, she cruised into the quarter-finals and inched towards the gold.
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