Williams, Goerges set for semis clash
London, July 11: As Serena Williams prepares for her 35th Grand Slam semi- final, the American star says a fear of failure is driving her bid for an eighth Wimbledon title.
Williams avoided a major upset on Tuesday as the former world number one battled back to beat unseeded Camila Giorgi 3- 6, 6- 3, 6- 4 in a Centre Court thriller.
The 36- year- old’s quarterfinal escape act set up a last four showdown with German 13th seed Julia Goerges on Thursday.
The 23- time major winner is heavily favoured to end her wait this week, fuelled by the thought of suffering the painful sting left by her rare defeats.
“I hate losing. I mean, that’s no secret. But I feel like every time I lose, I get better,” she said.
“It’s important for me to have the losses. Just the fewer the better for me!”
Williams is playing only her fourth tournament since becoming a mother for the first time.
In contrast, Goerges is in the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time.
The 29- year- old had suffered five successive opening round defeats at the All England Club before this year.
Yet Goerges insists she can cause a massive upset against Williams.