By Randy Walker
What’s next for Serena Williams?
After the dust settles on her dramatic 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 victory over Victoria Azarenka Sunday in the final of the US Open, Williams will take stock on her standing in the history of women’s tennis and reassess her goals in the sport where she has won 15 major singles titles, 13 major doubles titles, two major mixed doubles titles, 45 WTA singles titles and a record four Olympic gold medals.
Williams is within clear striking distance of eclipsing both Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert and moving into fourth place all time for most major singles titles won by a woman – Navratilova and Evert each winning 18 major singles titles. Helen Wills, who won 19 major singles titles spanning fifteen years from 1923 to 1938, sits in third place and is also within the reach for Serena. Steffi Graf’s 22 majors singles titles that spanned 12 years from 1987 to 1999, may be a bit out of reach and Margaret Court’s 23 titles, won over a 13-year span from 1960 to 1973 would require longevity and consistent dominance for the next few years for the 30-year-old Serena.
Tweeted Navratilova from her @Martina twitter handle Sunday, “Well done @serenawilliams, what a gutsy comeback in the third set, you are catching me and Chris, and I don’t like it:)”
Williams said Sunday that she had not thought about her records and assault on tennis history until recently. “I never thought I would even come close to breaking those records. But if I can play consistently and play some more matches at Wimbledon, then it will be awesome. We’ll see. If I could win two (majors) a year it would be great.”
Tweeted two-time US Open champion Tracy Austin Sunday from her @thetracyaustin twitter handle “Congratulations @serenawilliams Major #15 in singles. I think u can tie @martina & @ChrissieEvert @ 18-maybe break it.”
It was 13 years ago when Williams, at age 17, won her first major at the 1999 US Open. Her 2012 summer has been near perfect as she has posted a 26-1 record since her shocking first-round upset loss to Virginie Razzano at the French Open. She blitzed to her fifth women’s singles title at Wimbledon, losing only one set and slamming a record 102 aces. To boot, she won her fifth Wimbledon women’s doubles title with sister Venus. She then dominated the Olympic Games, also played at Wimbledon, winning singles gold losing only 17 games, including a 6-0, 6-1 mugging of world No. 3 Maria Sharapova in the final. She also won Olympic gold in women’s doubles for a third time with Venus.
Her lone blemish in the summer was to Angelique Kerber, 6-4,6-4 in the quarterfinals of Cincinnati, a match that can be attributed to physical and mental exhaustion.
Said Azarenka of Williams following her loss Sunday, “For me she is the greatest player of all time. She took the game to the next level.”
Williams had to climb back from a 3-5 deficit in the final set to claim her fourth US Open title, winning the last four games of the match. Serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set, Azarenka committed three unforced errors to meekly lose the game. Williams belted 13 aces and hit 44 winners in the match, but also had sloppy play, committing 45 unforced errors.
