Thursday, June 16, 2011

Reviewed By Chris Chase


A sampling of opinions about Serena Williams' comeback from injury:
• "I feel I have nothing to lose. There is only one way I can move and that's up." -- Serena Williams
• "Williams used to have control over wins and losses, but not these days. She might well win two or even three more rounds this tournament, considering her draw. If she somehow does win the title - with the aid of, say, a fast-spreading and debilitating disease in the women's locker room - it would be an indictment of the rest of the draw, not a credit to Williams. Nothing can change the fact that she remains less than half the player she once was back when she could scramble, charge the net, and hit fabulous winners from a full stretch. No one played quite like her before, and no one has since, but she doesn't want to be that player anymore." -- Tom Perrotta, New York Sun
• "I'm definitely looking at working my way back more than anything. I think about the opportunity that I have." -- Williams
• ''She's rusty.'' -- Serena's mother, Oracene Price
• "It's a far cry from the days when the sisters dominated the game." -- London's Independent
• "It was very difficult, to say the least. Some days you can get upset and be very discouraged. At this point, I was just excited to be able to make it all the way here after such a strenuous off-season mentally."-- Williams
• "I don't think she can come and go with this. If she's carrying too much weight, it will inevitably count against her in the end." -- Nick Bollettieri
• "My fitness is fine, I can definitely win. [...] My mom and my dad always taught me to think positive. For me to sit here and say no now, I just can't do that." -- Serena Williams
All these quotes are from January 2007, when Serena, ranked No. 81 in the world, came to the Australian Open rusty, struggling and overweight. She went on to win her third title in Melbourne, dismantling top seedMaria Sharapova in the final.