Serena Williams enters the French open this year following a disappointing Australian open which saw her defeated in the fourth round by Ekaterina Makarova. Getting knocked out in the fourth round is not usually the Williams sister way as they are so often used to winning grand slams almost for fun. In truth Serena hasn’t really been on the top of her game for some time. A strong French open is very important for the thirty year old American as it would really help bring her career back on track. The currently world number five has only one of her thirteen grand slams at the Roland Garros stadium and it represent a tournament that she has always found difficult and it has been over ten years since that single victory in Paris. Lifting the trophy this year would be well and truly be turning back the clock.
The key for Serena’s success will be to win games fast. Overpowering weaker opponents will enable to minimise the mistakes she makes when she gets tired. It is well known that as a game drags on the number of unforced errors increases and as she has got older this trend has become accentuated.
She needs to win quickly and stay healthy, which will help her win at a place she has struggled in the past. This will enable her to play her best tennis and avoid fatigue building up throughout a tournament so that she is fresher for the semis and the final. The French Open has never been a strong tournament for her only progressing beyond the quarter finals once. With a run of poor performances she desperately needs to find form before Wimbledon if she wants to play well on a more favourable court type.