Unbreakable

Serena at the US Open in her famous (or infamous?) leather outfit
Her bootay is fabulous!

Serena Williams is one of my favorite players. She came onto the scene in the late 90's, and stormed the game of tennis between 1999, and 2003. She's known for her overall powerful game, serve, quickness, and her nerves of steel. She is a bit wild too, because she wore a black CATSUIT to the US Open, designs clothing, likes to party and be a celebrity.

There have been so many critics of hers that are like:

"Omg, Why isn't she soley dedicated to tennis?"

She lost some of her fire between 2004 - 2005 (even though she still won the Aussie Open in 2005) due to injuries, personal problems (her half-sister was shot) and other distractions. Critics slammed her and questioned her passion for tennis, and her desire to be the best.

The problem with Serena isn't her game. It's what is in between her ears. She's a player that simply plays based on her mood. If it's good, then she's pretty much unbeatable. If she's not feeling too hot, she makes a rash of errors, doesn't move well around the court, and can get taken out by a good player (aka Henin)

For example, in January of 2007, she was not fit at all, was ranked 81st in the world, and joined to play in the Australian Open. No one expected her to get very far in the tournament, let alone win.

The picture below shows her that year:

Everyone was shocked at the end, but it wasn't really a surprise when she won the whole thing beating, I mean SLAUGHTERING Maria Sharpova in the Final 6-1, 6-2. The critics that once slammed her, marveled at how no other player could accomplish such a feat. She beat all the top 10 players in such a ferocious manner it was scary! That too, she was un-fit! Now, what's her secret?

Apart from her game, it was her MINDSET that helped her the most. She has that bedrock conviction that no matter what her rank, or weight is, she IS the best. Imagine how intimidated her opponents must be knowing that nothing they do, can make Serena think otherwise. Even when she loses, she curses her game and says "I should have won. She was good, but I'm still better"

So what if she has other interests? She makes it count where it matters most. She has won 10 grand slams so far. None of the currently ranked female players can boast of that number (Venus is close with 7. Henin WAS getting close to 10, but she retired (damn it) ) It's a very exclusive club of players that have Grand Slam titles in the double digits.

Aussie Open 2009:

She started off the tournament really shaky. She almost lost a couple of matches. In all of those matches, you can see Serena's emotions on her face. She talked to herself, and her feet looked like they were made of stone.

Somehow, she made it to the quaterfinals Kuznetsova won the first set. Kuznetsova was up 5-3 in the second set, serving for the match. Serena does this thing where she closes her eyes and meditates in between points. She somehow told herself to "Get this shit over with already!" and then hit winner after winner and then won the 3rd 6-1. Kuznetsova was completely dumbfounded.

THAT's what Serena does best! With her back against the wall, somehow she dug deep..told herself something like: "This chic has nothin against you girl!" and then beat her.

At the semi finals, Serena came prepared. She was totally into the match and beat Dementieva 6-4, 6-3.

Everyone knew at that point, it was over. There was no way Serena was losing the final.

And it came true. Serena almost made Safina cry. She ripped her serves in, made Safina run all over the court, and was so cold and calculating that I think Safina would have turned to stone if she had looked into Serena's eyes.

THAT is true dominance. you GO serena williams!!!