Serena Williams got scared against Karolina Pliskova, says Flavia Pennetta
In an interview with Eurosport, the 2015 US Open champion Flavia Pennetta commented on Serena Williams' loss to Karolina Pliskova in the Australian Open quarter-finals. In the third set when Serena was leading 5-1 on serve, the American got called a foot fault on match point, which Pennetta believes influenced the 37-year-old's mind. Serena stayed composed after that: 'If she showed her anger it would have been better. Instead, she stayed calm and she thought about behaving well', said Pennetta. 'She cannot handle some things and when she argues with umpire it's because she is convinced of what she says. But she was leading the score, she got off balance and less by less she started dictating, she got scared. 5-2, 5-3, 5-4... She could not do anything anymore. She lost a chance because every time she heads in a Grand Slam she wants to win. It's not because she wants to enjoy tennis, but because she has to achieve a goal. And this is another failed chance. I do not know how many more she will have. She will play this year, but next year?'
Asked if people may have fewer expectations on Stefanos Tsitsipas, who reached his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open, compared to Alexander Zverev, Pennetta added: "Tsitsipas didn't get what Zverev got. He has not so much pressure as Alexander. But now media will start speaking about him, they expect him to win ATP 500 or 250s and if he loses in the second round or quarter-finals, you feel it's not enough. A little bit like when you are world No. 1. My advice is not to take care of other people's expectations, just play for yourself."
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from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2RsUdSr
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