When asked whether she and Roger Federer could win the calendar slam, Serena responded, “We definitely have the same chance as we both won Australia. We are starting on the same ship and I just hope at least one of our ships goes the whole way.”Wednesday, 5 May 2010
The world number one admitted that she was still blowing away the cobwebs from her long absence recovering from a knee injury after toiling to beat Germany's Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-0. The American had a sticky patch against unseeded Petkovic, after having taken her time to get going against Swiss Timea Bacsinszky on Tuesday in her first match since winning January's Australian Open. However she has already shown in Rome an ability to raise her game when needed, an attribute she is likely to have to call upon at this month's French Open. "I don't get frustrated because I have to think I've had a long time off," she said. "I definitely felt extremely rusty today.
"It went crazy in the second set. I was glad I was able to win because at least I can be guaranteed another match. I think I definitely need it because I was definitely rusty." "But that's the great thing about playing matches (rather than just training) and I was glad to win because you're guaranteed another match and I need it because you could see today I was rusty."
However she insisted that she is already in better shape ahead of the French Open than she was last year when she lost in the quarters to eventual winner Svetlana Kuznetsova. Last year she lost in her opening match in three successive clay events leading up to Roland Garros. "I'm better than I was this time last year. I lost in the (second) round (after a first round bye) and wasn't doing so well. "My goal is to do better than last year and so far it's going well."
Serena looked comfortable in the first set, reading her opponent's beefy serve well and using Petkovic's power to crack some sizzling return winners, although only a smattering of Romans had braved the drops of light rain to see them. She was swinging the racket with gusto at the start of the second set, with a gorgeous net volley and an emphatic smash helping her to hold to love in the second game.
Serena then began attacking the ball too early, leading to unforced errors that let the German off the hook when she was under pressure in the following game. The world number one's rhythm suddenly went astray and she was broken twice on the way to losing the second set, bouncing her racket on the ground in frustration when a netted forehand clinched it for Petkovic. Serena regained her concentration though to win the decider without dropping a game. With an eye on Roland Garros, she said that, despite the problems, her claycourt game was better than at the same stage last season, when she lost here in her first game.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Monday, 3 May 2010
Sunday, 2 May 2010
ROME — Serena Williams is ready to return at the Italian Open after a knee injury has kept her sidelined since winning the Australian Open in January. The top-ranked player has been preparing for her comeback with practice time on clay."I had been spending a lot of time on court,'" Williams said. "My body is fine. It's feeling better." Williams won the Italian Open in 2002 and followed the victory with her only French Open title two weeks later. Winning the tournament again after so much time off may be a challenge.
"When you first come back, you're never really 100 percent," Williams said. "At first you just have to start playing some tournaments to see how it goes."
The Williams sisters are in the same half of the draw at the Foro Italico and could meet in the semifinals. Both players have opening-round byes. A month ago, Serena wasn't sure when she would return and did not enter this tournament. But she asked for and received a wild-card entry two weeks ago.
"I still haven't gone on vacation because I have been focusing on my rehab — gym, practice and sleep," Serena said. "I really felt as if I was Bill Murray in 'Groundhog Day.' I was even teased about it because I was so frustrated, and so I'm really glad to be out of the United States for a while."
Serena won her fifth Australia Open title after a hard-fought, three-set win over old rival Justine Henin. She indicated that the knee was also bothering her in the warm up tournament in Melbourne. "After Australia, I was amazed even how I was able to win the tournament," she said. "I had to totally recover from that whole Australia bonanza."
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