Serena Beats No. 1 Halep, 24th Grand Slam in Sight

World Number 1, Simona Halep was the underdog against Serena Williams. So it was not a surprise that Willilams won by a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 score. But it wasn’t easy. Halep put up a good fight despite the one-sided first set. Williams will next play Karolína Pliskova, meanwhile, has won all nine matches she has played this season.

Williams’s is aiming for her 24th grand slam title, at last equaling the Australian great Margaret Court’s total of major singles championships.Her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, offered the strongest assessment. “I believe she will,” he said. “She is ready physically, I think emotionally, too.” “She is back,” he added, “to being Serena.”

“I have to return better, but I will be ready,” Williams vowed as she looked ahead to Pliskova. “She’s ready, I’m ready, let’s do it.”

 

 

Continue ReadingSerena Beats No. 1 Halep, 24th Grand Slam in Sight

5 Thoughts on Tsitsipas’ Win Over Federer

Stefanos Tsitsipas knocked out Roger Federer in 4 sets in 4 sets at the Australian Open. Here are some of my thoughts on Federer’s shock loss.

  1. Federer didn’t play too badly.  Tsitsipas was just too good.  As Federer himself said, he couldn’t break Tsitsipas’ serve at the Hopman Cup and he could couldn’t break at Melbourne.  Clearly there is something about the Greek’s game that bothers Federer. 
  2. With this loss, Federer has not reached the semifinals of the last four grand slams.  Writing his tennis obituary has been fool’s errand but his results haven’t been stellar by his standards.
  3. Federer announced that he will be playing the French Open this year.  I was surprised by his decision.  Federer said, “It’s a bit of a desire. I’m in a phase where I want to have fun and I’ve missed not doing it,” he told reporters of the French Open. “I don’t feel it is necessary to have a big break again.”  Has Federer lost the fire in his belly?  Is he playing for fun and not for winning?
  4. I have a feeling that 2020  may be Federer’s last year on tour.  He may call it a career after the 2020 Olympics.
  5. Federer has played exceptionally well for someone his age.  But age catches up with everyone sooner or later.  
Continue Reading5 Thoughts on Tsitsipas’ Win Over Federer