Sport
Wimbledon 2012: Serena Williams player to beat
Serena Williams celebrates her victory over Petra Kvitova. PHOTO/Miguel Medina/AFP
Judging by results this year, Serena Williams should not be considered the favorite among the four remaining women at Wimbledon.
Williams has won fewer matches in 2012 than any of the other three semi-finalists, has just the third-highest ranking among them and is by far the oldest of the group.
But when it comes to crunch time in a Grand Slam tournament, there is usually no one better.
Serena Williams is two wins away from her 14th major title, while the other three semi-finalists have one Grand Slam victory among them. Two of them, Agnieszka Radwanska and Angelique Kerber, have never been in a major final.
Of the 20 previous Grand Slam semi-finals Williams has played in, she won 17.
So while Williams still has to get past Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka on Thursday, there’s no question who her rivals view as the player to beat.
“Serena Williams is just great champion. When she’s on fire, I really don’t want her on my part of the draw. That’s for sure,” said the third-ranked Radwanska. “I think she’s still in shape. She’s still looking good on court. She’s playing still a good tennis, running like (she’s) 18 years old.”
