By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, June 28, 2016
"I would be lying if I said I feel fresh, but I don't feel fatigue," said Serena Williams after raising her career Grand Slam record to 298-42.
Photo credit: Stephen White/CameraSport
Serena Williams warmed up for Wimbledon with a fire-breathing display on Snapchat.
Rekindling her major aspirations, Williams showed an eager glow discharging Grand Slam debutante Amra Sadikovic, 6-2, 6-4, in her Wimbledon opener today.
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"I would be lying if I said I feel fresh, but I don't feel fatigue," Williams told the media afterward. "I don't think I feel fresh, but I feel real hungry, super motivated, extremely ready to do the best."
It was more a steady burn than blazing aggression from the top seed at times today.
Williams hit more double faults (five) than aces (four), a rarity for the most menacing server in the sport. But the six-time champion anticipated well, covered the court with ambition and often backed the 148th-ranked Swiss behind the baseline smacking deep returns down the middle denying her opponent angles and forcing her to counter shots off her shoelaces.
"I never underestimate anyone," Williams told the BBC afterward. "It was a really good match. I don't think it was tougher than I thought. It was definitely tough. I always expect the best from everyone."
Understandably, the 27-year-old qualifier showed signs of skittishness playing her first major match on the world's most prestigious Centre Court against a reigning champion launching her quest for a 22nd Grand Slam crown to equal Steffi Graf's Open Era record.
Initially, Williams was jittery at the outset, too.
A drop shot and backhand pass gave Sadikovic double break point in the opening game. Williams navigated that test, holding with a backhand swing volley.
That hold sparked the top seed to turn up the heat. Williams won 13 consecutive points breaking at love before stinging successive aces for a love hold and 3-0 lead.
Withstanding a sloppy three double game where she was falling off her serve rather than launching herself up at the ball, Williams fought off a pair of break points holding for 4-1.
Credit Sadikovic for hanging tough in the face of an onslaught. She saved three set points in the eighth the game before Williams whipped a backhand down the line to take the opening set. Williams won 11 of 15 points played on Sadikovic's second serve in the first set.
Mother Oracene Price was watching from the Royal Box as the top seeds backhand briefly betrayed her when she dropped serve for the only time to trail 1-2 in the second set. Williams immediately broke back.
Pressed to 0-30 in the seventh game, Williams turned up the heat on serve. Three crackling serves in a row erased the deficit. She banged her lone ace of the set holding for 4-3.
"I felt I was where I needed to be," Williams said. "I needed to be pumped for the match. I needed to be intense. I needed to show a lot and feel a lot on the court. That's typically how I play. I needed to do that."
The top seed smacked a backhand off the baseline on her second match point. The shot was initially called out. Williams challenged and when the Hawk-Eye challenged system showed the ball touched the baseline, the world No. 1 thrust her arms in the air wrapping up a 73-minute victory in raising her record to 63-1 in Grand Slam first-round matches.
Continuing her quest for a seventh Wimbledon crown, Williams will face compatriot Christina McHale in round two. She's beaten the pride of Teaneck, N.J. in both of their prior encounters, including a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 triumph in Miami last March.
"It's great to be back at Wimbledon," Williams said. "Mom was in the royal box, that was really nice. I gotta get my dad to get out here."
The world No. 1 continues to climb the ladder of history. Williams owns a 298-42 career Grand Slam record, third on the Open Era list behind Martina Navratilova (306-49) and Chris Evert (299-37).