Warning shot
Victory in Auckland signals the return to form of a tennis legend.
Serena Williams’ semi-final in last week’s ASB Classic in Auckland provided a snapshot of her astonishing career: her opponent, Amanda Anisimova, was born two years after Williams won her first major singles titles. Two weeks before she turned 18, Williams defeated then world No 1 Martina Hingis in the 1999 US Open final.
Notwithstanding Anisimova’s pedigree – last year she became the youngest French Open semi-finalist in more than a decade
– she was overawed by her first on-court encounter with the greatest women’s player of all time. Her first serve was tentative, a reliable indicator of nerves, and playing Williams is hard enough without giving her plentiful opportunities to tee off on soft second serves.
Williams continues to amaze. Aged 38, with 39 major titles (23 singles) and having clocked up 319 weeks as world No 1, she is effectively on the comeback trail after taking a year out of the game after a difficult childbirth.
She went into the ASB Classic looking for her first title since the 2018 Australian Open – mission accomplished – and was ranked 10th in the world. Her two-decade dominance is reflected in the fact that the names of the nine players ranked above her would mean little to anyone who isn’t a keen follower of women’s tennis. Between them, the nine have won six major titles.
These days, Williams moves with a stately tread between points but she still possesses the power to make opponents feel like statues – or targets.
The adage “never write off a champion” is likely to get a fair airing in the buildup to the Australian Open in Melbourne.