Women's Tennis Betting: Serena is 13 not out

Players Under the Microscope / Guy McCrea / 13 July 2010 / Leave a Comment

Hitting like you mean it. Serena thrashes another winner.

"While Venus hit the front in the early 2000’s, Serena set herself up for even greater achievements. In four straight Slam finals from 2002 Roland Garros to the 2003 Australian Open, the younger Williams beat her older sibling to complete what is known as the ‘Serena Slam."

Having taken yet another Wimbledon title with minimum fuss a couple of weeks ago, Serena Williams has moved swiftly on to thirteen Grand slam titles. And she isn't done just yet, says Guy McCrea.abe

Question any tennis fan on what is the true measure of greatness in the sport, and you'll hear a common response: Grand Slam titles. It is on this mark more than any other that Serena Williams (currently [2.68] favourite on Betfair to win the U.S. Open) involves herself in any discussion over the all-time greats of the women's game. Why? Because with thirteen major titles, she needs just one more to equal the combined total of the two other 'greats' of her generation - her sister Venus ([16.5] to win in New York) and Justine Henin, who together have won fourteen titles. Where Serena actually ranks in that list which includes Navratilova, Court, Graf and Evert is a matter of opinion, as there are too many factors involved to produce a conclusive answer. But what is beyond doubt is that Serena is now the greatest female player of her generation.

Serena's path to her fourth Wimbledon crown earlier this month was as straightforward as it comes. It was the fourth time Serena had won a Slam without dropping a set. The closest she came to losing one during the fortnight was in her fourth round match against a resurgent Maria Sharapova ([9.8] to win in New York), where Serena saved three set points to take a terrific opening set tie break en route to victory. In the final, she lost just two points on serve against a shell-shocked Vera Zvonareva ([48.0] to win the U.S. Open.)

Her Wimbledon win again showcased much of what makes Serena the best of her generation: the outstanding court coverage, the fearsome groundstrokes and that awesome serve. It is even more reliable than her sister's and truly comes into its own on the big moments. Moreover, Serena's second delivery is almost certainly the best ever in the women's game. The one characteristic not really needed this year at the All England Club was her never-say-die attitude but no one can doubt that it is brought to the fore when required. To cite just one example, note Serena's comeback from match point down against Elena Dementieva ([40.0] to win the U.S. Open) in last year's memorable Wimbledon semi-final.

The funny thing is though, Serena wasn't originally meant to be the major star in the Williams sisters' story. Venus hit the front first, with many seasoned observers expecting Serena to be a bit-part figure by comparison. All except for their father Richard, who predicted she would achieve more. How right he was.

Serena first served notice of her greatness by winning the last slam of the last century, the 1999 U.S. Open at 18 years old, in the process becoming the first African-American major singles winner since Althea Gibson in 1958. While Venus hit the front in the early 2000's, Serena set herself up for even greater achievements. In four straight Slam finals from 2002 Roland Garros to the 2003 Australian Open, the younger Williams beat her older sibling to complete what is known as the 'Serena Slam.'

Indeed, if she had not needed knee surgery and had also not allowed off-court interests to distract her, Serena would surely now have snared even more than thirteen Grand Slam singles titles and so would have already been even higher than sixth on the all-time career list. After her 2003 Wimbledon win, she won only one slam between then and the end of the 2006 season, and missed three majors due to injury.

As such, it is highly unlikely that Serena will now be able to reach Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 career Grand Slam singles titles, or even Steffi Graf's - who occupies second place with 22 majors. However, there remains the possibility that the current world number one could catch Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert (tied for fourth overall with 18 victories) by the end of her career. Serena insists that these records don't interest her - but don't believe that. In truth, the American is as focused and determined now as at any time in her career. Even at almost 29, she realises that she still has the opportunity to achieve even more, not least the chance to regain the U.S. Open title at Flushing Meadows and add what would be a fourteenth major singles crown to her resume.

Don't expect Serena to play much between now and then - she has pretty much perfected the art of keeping herself fresh for the Slams. Perhaps the world number one will make an appearance at the big hard court events in Cincinnati or Montreal next month. Even then, the Serena you see there will be a completely different animal to the one in New York. She has won just one of her last seventeen non-Grand Slam singles events. As such, I don't see much value in backing her at these tournaments. No, for Serena the rest of 2010 is all about the U.S. Opent - a frightening prospect for everyone else on the WTA Tour!