Serena Williams Having Fun at the French Open

"Just looking back at a few of my matches years ago and looking now, I definitely feel like I'm getting into that zone that I have always wanted to be in, and I feel a lot better about it.

"I have been playing a lot more tennis. I have been spending more time on the court.

"I felt this past year coming back I had nothing to lose and just really wanted to enjoy my career. In the past when I played I was always so stressed out and always wanted to win, win, win.

"And now I'm definitely having a lot more fun than what I used to have on the court and really enjoying every moment of me walking out there. So I think that definitely makes a big difference." 

--Serena Williams, discussing her mindset at the beginning of the French Open. 

On Tuesday, Serena reached the semifinals of the French Open by defeating fellow former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova at Stade Roland Garros.

The 31-year-old Williams held off the unseeded Kuznetsova, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, as the American overcame a 0-2 deficit in the final set.
Since last year's French Open which she did not win, Williams has lost only three of the 70 singles matches she has played, winning 10 tournaments, including Wimbledon and the Olympics.

The only surprise was the upset in the Australian Open quarter-finals, when she was beaten by fellow American Sloane Stephens, although an ankle injury was certainly a factor.

"Sometimes I think, 'Should I be happy that I lost last year?'.

"You never know what can happen in your career and why things happen.

"So it's been great for me just realizing that every match counts. I have always realized that, but also realizing what I need to do to get better and to stay on top and to be the best tennis player that I can be."

Roland Garros has not been a lucky venue for Williams, with her only title and only finals appearance coming 11 years ago, when she beat sister Venus.

"I just remember going into the final," she said. "I definitely didn't expect to win, so I think that made me really calm and really relaxed.

"I felt like, 'Okay, I'm not going to win this match, but I'm going to go out there and have fun'. Next thing I know I was winning.

"I won the first set, and I thought I could win it after that. So learning from that, I think I can learn about just how relaxed I was. I felt no pressure and no anything. I just felt really good."

Could her attitude lead to a French Open victory?  

Excerpts from foxnews.com (6/4/2013).

A Very Focused and Grounded Rafael Nadal Wins 6th French Open

"A big personal satisfaction, especially when you started [the tournament] without playing your best.  Finally, I was able to play my best when I needed my best.

"[The French Open] always is the tournament where I feel that I have more chances to win. This is my biggest chance of the year [to win a Grand Slam]. I know if I win this tournament, my season is fantastic. I then can play with more confidence and less pressure." 

--Rafael Nadal, after winning the 2011 French Open over Roger Federer.  

Nadal beat Federer without playing his best tennis throughout the tournament.  So, he had to deal with it and accept his less than stellar playing.   

"The real Rafa is both the Rafa who wins and the Rafa who plays well, and the Rafa who suffers and doesn't play that well," Nadal said. "You have to face this situation."

Typically, Nadal is exceptional at Roland Garros in Paris -- 45-1 for his career, and the same number of titles there as Bjorn Borg -- but the Spaniard already also has shown that he is much more than the King of Clay. And Sunday's victory only will raise more questions about whether Federer truly deserves to be called the Greatest of All Time if he is not even the Greatest of Right Now.

Nadal leads their head-to-head series 17-8. That includes a 6-2 advantage in Grand Slam finals and a 5-0 edge at the French Open (in the 2005 semifinals, and the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011 finals).

Nevertheless, this is not what drives him.  

"When you talk about these statistics, when you try and make these comparisons, really it's not very interesting to me," continued Nadal, who would have ceded the No. 1 ranking to Novak Djokovic with a loss Sunday. "I'm very happy with what I have, with who I am. I'm not the best player in the history of tennis. I think I'm among the best. That's true. That's enough for me."

But, does Nadal have Federer's number?  Toni Nadal, Rafael's uncle and coach, spoke plainly after Sunday's match.

"The game of Rafael is not too good for Roger," Toni said, adding that Federer's "mentality against Rafael is not the best."

On Sunday, Federer raced to a 5-2 at the outset, but blew a set point by missing a drop shot that landed barely wide.  That seemed to unnerve Federer and open the door for Nadal. 

Nadal then won seven games in a row. Later, when Nadal went up a break in the third and led 4-2, the match appeared over, until Federer charged back to force a fourth set.

But Nadal once more assumed control, winning the last five games, then dropping to his knees and leaning forward with his hands covering his eyes.

"I was able to play my best when I needed my best," Nadal repeated. "For that reason, today I am here with the trophy." 

Excerpts from ESPN.com (June 5 & 6, 2011).

Dinara Safina: Too Much Pressure in French Open Championship Loss

"The pressure I put on myself because I really wanted to win.

"I just didn't handle it. I was a little bit desperate on the court, and didn't do the things that I had to do. I didn't stay tough mentally. I lost myself."

--Dinara Safina, the world's number one ranked women's tennis player, after losing 6-4 6-2 to fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova on Saturday, June 6, 2009.

In a clue as to her pre-match mental mindset Safina had said before the final, "How much proof do I need to give to people that I deserve to be number one?" Safina had been irritated about criticism concerning whether she deserved to be ranked at the top. Perhaps that was where the excessive pressure came from.

Kuznetsova took advantage of the No. 1-ranked Safina's nerves and frequent errors and won the French Open final, a 74-minute match which ended with Safina's seventh double-fault.

"She was too tight. She had so much pressure on her. I just played the match. It was just one more match. ... Definitely it was a lot of emotions inside of me, but I control it."

--Svetlana Kutnetsova, 2004 U.S. Open champion.


So, what has Safina learned having now funished runner-up in the season's opening two majors?

"Not to put so much pressure on myself."

Excerpts from Reuters and Yahoo.com (June 7, 2009)

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Nadal Dominates Federer in the French Open Again!

"Winning four times in a row is
incredible."- Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer in the French Open, as he won six consecutive
games early in the match and swept the final nine games to win 6-1, 6-3,
6-0.
This was Federer's worst loss in his 173 Grand Slam matches, and the
shortest
Roland Garros men's final in terms of games since 1977.

The
No. 2-ranked
Nadal lost only 41 games in seven rounds of the French Open.

The
Spaniard became the second man to win four consecutive French
Open titles. Bjorn
Borg did it in 1978-81.

Nadal improved to 28-0 at Roland Garros, where he has won 83 of 90 sets. Only six-time champion Borg won more French Open men's titles. And Nadal became the first man since Borg in 1980 to win the tournament without a dropping set.

"He dominated the tournament like never before, like Bjorn," Federer said.