 |
 |
 |
|
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- It's not often that the No. 1 player in the world will talk about a lack of courage. Think Tiger Woods would be afraid of a sand trap on the 18th hole? Has Kobe Bryant ever been scared of a last-second jumper? Did Tom Brady ever handoff when a touchdown pass was needed?
No, no and no.
|
|
| Serena demonstrates the skills she possessed back in '02. (Getty Images) |
Henin turned into the Lion from the Wizard of Oz, and Williams ran her over on the Yellow Brick Road.
"I was too defensive, for sure," Henin said. "Against this type of player you don't have any chances if you play that game, and I didn't have really any courage to do something else." This isn't a knock against Henin, a great player who just had a bad day. This is more about Williams and what appears to be a newfound approach to her game.
Williams is focused on tennis again, and that's bad news for the rest of the women's tour. When she wants to play and spend time on the practice court, there aren't many who can hang with her, which, unfortunately, is what happened to Henin.
As the Stadium Court crowd gave Williams a standing ovation after the match, she smiled and waved before heading to the locker room. There was a sense of accomplishment on her face, but she says this is just the beginning.
Williams wants to be the best player in the world again.
"This isn't my goal," Williams said about beating Henin. "My goal is for the future. I've been saying that tennis is my priority, and I feel that it is. Hopefully my results will finally start to show what I've been practicing and working on so diligently."
Williams was No. 1 in 2002 and on her way to becoming the most dominant player in the history of women's tennis. Then injuries set in, along with a lack of focus as Williams started spending more time on life and less time on the practice court.
She pronounced herself healthy last year and won the Australian Open and the tournament here, beating Henin in the finals, while cracking the top 10. But she didn't win another Grand Slam, losing in the quarterfinals to Henin at the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.
This year, Williams has started strong again. She lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open but defeated her sister Venus at the Bangalore Open in India. On Tuesday, Williams got over the hurdle of beating Henin once again.
Williams joked this is the best she has felt "since 1982," when she was a 1 year old, but her fitness level might be the highest it's ever been, which helped her aggressive play. For Williams, being born again as a tennis player might not be a bad thing.
