NEW YORK: Three-time defending champion Serena Williams begins her quest to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam while past winners Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal launch their campaigns Monday at the US Open.
World number one Williams has already captured the Australian and French Open and Wimbledon crowns this season and could be the first person since Steffi Graf in 1988 to capture all four major women's singles tennis crowns in the same year by hoisting the trophy at the end of the Flushing Meadows fortnight.
That would give Williams 22 career Grand Slam singles titles, matching Graf's Open Era-mark and move her two shy of Australian Margaret Court's all-time record.
"I don't feel that pressure," Williams said of the intensity of making more history. "If I make it far, maybe I'll start to feel pressure. But as of now I really don't feel any."
Williams felt pressured at Wimbledon, where she won her fourth Slam crown in a row to complete the second "Serena Slam" of her career, giving her all four major trophies at the same time.
In all, Williams owns six Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open singles titles plus three French Open crowns.
Williams will play the first night match at Arthur Ashe Stadium after opening ceremonies against Russia's Vitalia Diatchenko.
Following her onto the main stadium will be eighth seed Nadal opening against Croatian Borna Coric, who beat the Spaniard at Basel last year in their only prior meeting.
"He's a tough player. He's a young player with a lot of energy and he's a big competitor," Nadal said. "He's one of the players who is the future of our sport, so it's a tough one. But I'm playing well. I feel like I'm ready."
Comments
Comments are closed.