All is well that ends well, and 2014 ended very well for Serena Williams. She finished ranked world No 1 in the world with a lead of more than 1,100 points over No 2 Maria Sharapova, she won the US Open and the year-end championships for the third successive year and added seven titles to her career tally.
Impressive for a woman who celebrated her 33rd birthday in September. But how good was 2014 for her, really? She seemed headed for her worst year at the grand slams, failing to reach the last eight at the Australian Open, French Open or Wimbledon, until the US Open salvaged her season.
The American did win the WTA Finals, but she suffered the worst defeat of her career – a 6-0, 6-2 loss to Simona Halep. The last time she managed to win only two games in a WTA Tour or grand slam match was in 1998, when she was 16 – a 6-1, 6-1 loss to South African Joannette Kruger.
So Williams was not as dominant in 2014 as she generally is, and most pundits would attribute that to her advancing age. That would mean 2015 could be even tougher on her aching limbs, but not many would bet against her adding to her 18 slam titles.
Martina Navratilova won Wimbledon in 1990 at 33 years and eight months. She was 37 when she lost the 1994 final to Conchita Martinez. Navratilova and Williams are the only women to win a slam in three different decades, but can the American keep making it to major finals until the age of 37, like Martina?
This year should provide some answers towards that.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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