Serena Williams' First Round loss at the French Open seemed devastating for her. She was just not the same as she was before her injury, and before she got distracted by the world around her. But, as Serena has shown, nothing can stop this women.
When Serena Williams lost in devastating fashion to Virginie Razzano 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3, we thought the world was caving in on Serena. She was spraying shots, and it seemed like the ball was going into the net more often than the other side of the court. She did not have the passion she had earlier in her career. But, there was something, different about Williams after the match. If this taught her anything, it was that the world has caught up, and Serena likes to be ahead. Since then, she has not looked back.
At Wimbledon, we saw a determined, focused, Serena Williams. After handily beating two inferior opponents, we saw Serena do something she, it seemed, has not done in a while, win a close match. Serena Williams beat Zheng Xi 9-7 in the third due to a barrage of aces. Then, in the next round, she won 7-5 in the third to Yaroslava Shvedova.
In the past, we would have seen Williams give in during these tight matches, unable to handle the pressure, and more inclined to enhance her clothing line than her tennis game. But, that loss to Razzano brought out a little fight in Serena, that willingness to battle on through these tough matches. Serena realized after that match what the game of tennis really meant to her. These close matches just fueled the fire.
After her win against Shvedova, Serena never looked back. She then went on to beat Petra Kvitova, reigning Wimbledon champion, in the quarters, world number one Victoria Azarenka, then world number two Agy Radwanska in the finals.
As Serena screamed with joy after winning Wimbledon, one couldn't help but go back to her loss to Razzano. Did anyone truly expect Serena Williams to win this tournament after such a huge disapppointment? How is she playing so well now after playing so poorly then? I believe one day other competitors will be cursing Razzano for causing Williams to soul search.
Serena Williams then went on to cruises through her Stanford tournament on the other side of the world just days after winning Wimbledon. On top of this, she did not drop a set. Why did she go through all of that trouble just to win a small tournament? She has that hunger for winning again. That hunger for being the best in the world. I think Serena Williams took the First Round loss that the French Open hard, as evident by her sobbing on the sidelines. That match showed her just how much she wanted to win again.
Then, came the Olympics. That was not even a contest. In the gold medal match, she beat French Open winner Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-1. Not to mention the fact that she beat world number one and Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-2. While in Wimbledon Serena Williams used her serve to take the championship, she used her powerful groundstrokes to win the title. She played with a new found energy and passion. And where do you think she found that? That's right she found it in that match against Virginie Razzano. Those scorelines would have never happened earlier this year.
The Virginie Razzano First Round loss was a horrible loss for Serena Williams. But, at the end of the day, her, along with the rest of the world, will see that she has benefitted from that loss.
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