Serena Williams reveals the tennis legend she was inspired by
In an interview to GQ Magazine, Serena Williams spoke about the five most iconic matches she has ever played in her career. Before listing them all, Serena said: 'I always knew that I was going to be a professional tennis player, that was my dream. My dad always told me I was going to be a professional. I believed it. Starting tennis super young is a part of you and it's just in you. It's an innate feeling and because the older I got I did it so long, this passion developed to reach goals.'
She started recalling her 1997 Ameritech Cup win over Monica Seles in three sets, 4-6 6-1 6-1. 'I had my first competitive match and I was incredibly young, I remember playing that match in 1997 and always really loved Monica. I just wanted to play like Monica, she was my favourite player growing up and I wanted to just be like her. I wanted to hit like her, playing like her. Having the opportunity to play here was like "All right, oh cool". I got it. I knew it because I watched her so much and I wanted to go into the next Grand Slam and not have to be in the qualifying. So for me, it was like, I have to win these matches, I have to do well in this tournament.'
In the 1998 Australian Open, Serena defeated Irina Spirlea 6-7 6-1 6-3. 'It worked so hard to qualify for the Australian Open and that's why the Monica Seles win meant a lot to me because it meant I had qualified for the Australian Open, it was really really huge and then to qualify enough to play the number six immediately is not the easiest way to go. I played here before and I knew her game. I was like, Okay I can do this. And honestly I can remember being down a set but I guess that was the beginning of Serena's comebacks. When I go down a set I was like, Okay, you have to forget it. It's still not over, you have to fight for it and stay present.'
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from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2Q9d3SC
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