Serena Williams hails Tiger Woods’ influence as she continues her US Open run
Serena Williams has come to a crossroads in 2011. It’s the moment she’s been waiting for all year.
This month, she hopes she will get a look-in at the women’s Rogers Cup, as she wants to prove she’s still got it by upsetting her arch rivals in the first week of qualifying.
Next, it’s on to Indian Wells, where she will look to repeat her previous year’s Grand Slam, and, finally, it’s the French Open.
Having qualified for the French Open via an impressive win at the Miami Open, she has been looking forward to the competition as a way of finally getting some form back after the tough and injury-plagued year.
Aged 19 and a day, she won the 2010 US Open – the first year in history the tournament was open to women’s singles players – and then reached a career high of No. 3 in the world rankings.
She was also the first to win five Grand Slams, as well as the Australian Open and the French Open, and she set an opening round record in the latter with an 8-6 6-4 win against Marion Bartoli.
She was now looking to get the big win to bolster her chances in the second qualifying round of the French Open.
Williams ended her 2011 with a win at the Australian Open, which seemed to show her all-world level as the first player to ever win the Australian Open twice.
She was, though, taken to task for some of the things she had said in the build up to the Australian Open, which included not telling the world about her back problems and her fears over losing to her countrywoman, Serena, in the final.
The two then made up and the two were at each other’s throats again a little later in the year, as Serena had withdrawn from the Wimbledon final for a drug suspension while Williams withdrew in the Wimbledon final in order to defend her French Open title.
Wimbledon final: Williams takes early lead over Williams
After having taken the first set at Wimbledon, Williams took control of the match after an exchange of tennis in the second set of the match,
