Sport
Wimbledon 2012: Serena Williams player to beat
Williams is 30 now, actually, and is bidding to become the first woman at least that age to win a major title since Martina Navratilova won at Wimbledon in 1990 at the age of 33. The second-oldest remaining woman is Kerber at 24, while Azarenka is 22 and Radwanska 23.
But with age comes experience, and Williams has more of that than the other three combined. In fact, she has more career titles (41), more wins at Wimbledon (65) and more wins at Grand Slams (216) than the other three combined.
Williams, though, was quick to point out that momentum also plays a part, and that Azarenka has an edge in that department. The Belarusian started the year with a 26-match winning streak that included her first Grand Slam title in Australia.
“She’s had a better year than I have,” Williams said. “She’s been so successful already, like I said, winning a Grand Slam. Going against a player like that, I feel like she almost has an advantage, I guess. So that makes me really relaxed and I can just kind of hit.”
She did that emphatically in her quarter-final against Petra Kvitova, eliminating the defending champion in straight sets underneath the roof on Centre Court on Tuesday to send a clear message that she’s back to her best.
Williams has won her last five matches against Azarenka, including in the final in Madrid on clay this year when the Belarusian was ranked No. 1. Azarenka is well aware of her history against the American.
“History? I don’t know. I lost to her most of the times,” Azarenka said. “Obviously she’s a great fighter. Serena Williams never gives up. You always see that, no matter what the score is, she will go for her shots. She has a huge serve, which we all know. Every player that played against her felt that.”
