BRIT’S BEEN A REAL BALL FOR SERENA
Williams right at home with Andy
THE old No2 Court was always known as the ‘Graveyard of Champions’, so what better place for ‘Team Murena’ to be laid to rest – probably for ever.
There were half-hearted noises about reforming in the future, but in all probability, the 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 defeat by top seeds Bruno Soares and Nicole Melichar is almost certainly it for the pairing of Andy Murray and SerenaWilliams.
However, the latter is hoping her attention-grabbing association with such a huge home hope could breathe new life into her own love affair withWimbledon.
They seemed certainly to be having fun, even in defeat. A fiercely competitive second set squared the match, with Williams in particular throwing everything into her shots and taking no prisoners.
Ultimately, the British fans may not have been able to roar the mixed doubles team into contention as the third set ran away from them. But today they could give just Williams a lift when she returns to the more normal business of her singles campaign.
It should, of course, be Jo Konta up against her on Centre Court today and it would have been a very different story. Instead, she faces Barbora Strycova, the 33-year-old who beat the British No1, and Williams is hoping her honorary-Brit status carries over.
“I loved having the support,” she said. “It was amazing. Hopefully I can still have it. I think to play on this stage with Andy, who has done so well here for so many years, is literally just a lifetime experience. I’m so happy that I got to experience it.”
It is more than a slice of goodwill she will take from her experience of playing so close to the former men’s world No1. Even at the age of 37,Williams is wise enough to believe that she may have learnt a thing or two as well.
“It’s fun to get to know Andy as well,” she said. “I just love Andy’s spirit – he’s so calm and chilled. It’s cool to see people you see on TV and you watch and study, to actually be on the same side as them, to pick their brain a little bit, to help them out. It’s a really cool feeling.”
Her coach Patrick Mouratoglou agrees that the mixed doubles adventure has been a positive experience for the 23-time singles Grand Slam champion.
“She is in a good place at the moment,” he said. “She is happy. She has a house here, her husband is here. Her daughter is here and she is pain free now for three weeks so she feels so much lighter.
“Then she needed time in competition. And with both singles and mixed doubles, she has been able to spend quite a lot of hours on the tennis court playing matches.
“First, she is competing which is again what she needed. Second, with Andy, they are feeding off each other. They are two great champions and they exchange a lot of thoughts and feed each other basically.
“So you could see she has been able to raise her level when necessary, which is one of her trademarks. This is back so everything is positive.”