Serena Williams : The great Champion

Yesterday was the celebration of the maxim “Old is Gold” at the US Open as the indomitable 40 year-old Leander Paes made Indians proud by winning his 14th Grand Slam title. Though relatively young as compared to Leander Paes, 31 year-old Serena Williams vanquished Victoria Azarenka to win her 17th Singles Grand Slam and thus moved level with Roger Federer. At the time when people are suggesting that Roger Federer’s career is drawing to a close, these two have come with a timely reminder that form is temporary but class is permanent.

In a repeat of last year’s US Open finals, Serena Williams overcame a determined opponent to win 7-5 6-7 (6-8) 6-1. Her 17th title moved her to within one of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, and seven short of Margaret Court’s record total of 24.
Serena Williams is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. She is the only player to have achieved a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles. She is the only female player to have won over $50 million in prize money. She also became the oldest world no. 1 player in WTA’s history.

Serena Williams’ is a story of hardships and great determination. She had faced many a career-threatening injuries but has always managed to come back stronger.  But nothing can be compared to the trials and tribulations that Serena Williams faced during the later part of 2010. A freak injury happened in July, 2010 when Williams stepped on broken glass while in a restaurant in Munich, left her with a severed tendon and she missed the rest of the year. During the same time Serena Williams also suffered from a life-threatening ‘pulmonary embolism’, a condition of blockage of the main artery of the lung.

However as always she overcame her hardships, made full recovery and she has come back stronger, fitter and better than ever. She is playing her best tennis at the moment and it seems that she will continue for a long time enthralling all tennis lovers alike with her spectacular game.