By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
Very often when I open up the pages of my book “On This Day In Tennis History” or click on the mobile app each morning to read of the significant anniversaries in tennis history, I come across an item that becomes interesting in the current context.
Wednesday, January 23 was another one of those days.
Earlier in the day in Australia, Serena Williams suffered one of the biggest collapses in her storied career by blowing four match points and a 5-1 final-set lead to lose to Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in the quarterfinals. Williams turned her ankle while up 5-1, which hampered her play while losing six games in a row to lose the match.
That made it all the more interesting to read the following entry in the “On This Day In Tennis” compilation about a Serena Williams match from 16 years earlier at the Australian Open.
January 23, 2003
Serena Williams fights off two match points and a 1-5 third-set deficit to beat Kim Clijsters 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 to dramatically advance into the final of the Australian Open. Williams advances into the final to meet sister Venus Williams, whom she defeats to clinch her “Serena Slam” run of fourth consecutive major tournament titles. ”It was just an unbelievable battle out there,” says Serena of comeback win. ‘’I thought, ‘I don’t want to lose, 6-1.’ Then I said, ‘I don’t want to lose, 6-2.’ So I just kept fighting. Next thing I know, I came back.”
As they say, what comes around goes around.
“On This Day In Tennis History” is a fun and fact-filled compilation that offers anniversaries, summaries, and anecdotes of events from the world of tennis for every day in the calendar year. Presented in a day-by-day format, the entries into this mini-encyclopedia include major tournament victory dates, summaries of the greatest matches ever played, trivia, and statistics as well as little-known and quirky happenings. Easy-to-use and packed with fascinating details, the book is the perfect companion for tennis and general sports fans alike.
Said Hall of Famer Jim Courier of the book, “On This Day In Tennis History is a fun read that chronicles some of the most important—and unusual—moments in the annals of tennis. Randy Walker is an excellent narrator of tennis history and has done an incredible job of researching and compiling this entertaining volume.” Said tennis historian Joel Drucker, author of Jimmy Connors Saved My Life, “An addictive feast that you can enjoy every possible way—dipping in for various morsels, devouring it day-by-day, or selectively finding essential ingredients. As a tennis writer, I will always keep this book at the head of my table.”
