By Randy Walker
If the greatest server in the history of women’s tennis played the fourth-best serve-returner ever in the game, who would prevail?
Tennis fans will find out in the semifinals of Wimbledon Thursday when Serena Williams takes on Victoria Azarenka.
Williams is the No. 1 ranked server ever in women’s tennis according to tennis historian Steve Flink in his new book THE GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME while Azarenka gets the nod at No. 4 in the women’s return-of-serve category by Flink. Angelique Kerber of Germany will take on Aga Radwanska of Poland in the other women’s semifinal.
Williams fired 13 aces in her 7-5, 6-3 quarterfinal win Tuesday over defending champion Petra Kvitova. She belted a Wimbledon women’s record of 23 aces in her third-round win Saturday against Jie Zheng of China.
“Watching Serena Williams serve when she is in peak form is astonishing,” writes Flink in the book in a special chapter in the book that ranks the greatest strokes of all time. “Her motion is the most natural of any woman player I have ever seen. Her toss is reliable, her velocity impressive, her ability to rack up free points ever apparent. It is a daunting first serve, delivered with power and panache. As the serve goes, so goes Serena Williams.”
Azarenka, the No. 2 seed from Belarus and the reigning Australian Open champion, has not lost a set en route to the semifinals. She defeated Tamira Paszek of Austria Tuesday 6-3, 7-6 (4). Writes Flink of the Azarenka return of serve; “In establishing herself as the No.1 ranked woman in the world early in 2012, Azarenka brought a wide array of strengths with her to the arena. But, above all else, her return of serve was the best feature of her big hitting game. She is ultra-aggressive without being reckless, and the pressure she applies on opponents with her returns is immense.”
Either Azarenka or Radwanska will overtake Maria Sharapova as the new world No. 1 in the rankings on Monday, depending on which player goes farther in the event. Radwanska reached her first major tournament semifinal by edging Maria Kirilenko 7-5, 4-6, 7-5. Kerber beat fellow German Sabine Lisicki, the conqueror of Sharapova, 6-3, 6-7 (7), 7-5 in a tops-turvy Centre Court tussle, where Kerber led by a set and 3-0 and Lisicki served for the match at 5-3 in the third set.
THE GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME features profiles and rankings of the greatest matches of all time dating from the 1920s featuring Bill Tilden and Suzanne Lenglen up through the modern era of tennis featuring contemporary stars Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Flink breaks down, analyzes and puts into historical context the sport’s most memorable matches, providing readers with a courtside seat at these most celebrated and significant duels. Other champions featured in the book include Don Budge, Maureen Connolly, Rod Laver, Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf among many others.
Flink’s fascinating “greatest strokes of all time” section ranks and describes the players who best executed all the important shots in the game through the years. Williams also ranked No. 2 all time in the second serve category, No. 5 in forehands and No. 3 in mental toughness. Other Wimbledon contenders featured in this section include Novak Djokovic (No. 4 all time backhand, No. 3 return of serve, No. 5 passing shot), Roger Federer (No. 1 forehand of all-time, No. 5 first serve, No.4 overhead) and Andy Murray (No. 5 all time return of serve, No. 5 lob.)
THE GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME, a hard-cover book that retails for $28.95, can be purchased via this link http://m1e.net/c?96279190-aIk3ySckwn4Yc%407612075-SNQy.SGsNFcEY at www.NewChapterMedia.com and where ever books are sold. The book is available in electronic formats, including on Amazon.com’s Kindle.