I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it myself. You know I’m talking about Serena Williams getting bounced by Alize Cornet in the Wimbledon third round, her second consecutive loss to the Frenchie this year. The top seed, looking to tie Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova with 18 majors, went down 6-1, 3-6, 4-6 to the award winner. I was surprised she was beaten because she and the grass have always been a perfect fit – big serves, power groundies, and an aggressive mindset. Plus, after her loss in Paris, she made it very clear that she would come back stronger than ever.
But I was even more stunned by the passive way ReRe went down, playing more like a counter puncher and less like a woman on a mission with something to prove. And she had much to prove this fortnight after her dismal losses at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. On these courts, at this tournament, ReRe was going to rewrite her storyline this season and reclaim her aura of invincibility. Except she didn’t. Or couldn’t.
We’re used to seeing ReRe so clutch down the stretch; she’s pulled out matches she had no business winning over the years more times than anyone could count. It was automatic and seemingly part of her DNA. But this year, when she’s tried to get going by berating herself, staring down her opponent, and giving her thigh a slap, nothing has happened. Her much vaunted serve was nowhere to be found in her loss to Alize, and her footwork was atrocious. When the going has gotten tight lately, she’s been stuck in second gear with nowhere to go but down. Maybe it’s all the expectation, or mental fatigue after a stellar 2013. Even she’s not sure what happened. “I thought I was doing pretty decent,” she said. “I think I’m going to have to watch this film and see what I can do better and what went wrong.”
The downfall of dominance is cumulative; a top baller has a bad loss and then the confidence takes a hit. Other ballers start to feel a bit more confident in their chances, play harder, and, most importantly, believe they can win on the day. And then they start to make good. At the majors Ana Ivanovic did, as did Garbine Muguruza, and now Alize. ReRe will have to find the will to win again.
Other notables: There are still a few third round matches to be completed on the men’s side, including Wawrinka vs. Istomin, Lopez vs. Isner, and Nishikori vs. Bolelli. For the ladies, Ivanovic vs. Lisicki and Keys vs. Shvedova still need to be finished. Of the matches already set, I’m really looking forward to seeing how Nick Kyrgios does against Rafael Nadal in their fourth round battle. A true test for teen if there ever was one.
[Photo(s) credit: Getty Images]
Alize Cornet whooped that dude.
ReplyDelete