Shifting into high gear after sputtering, Serena Williams whacked a ferocious forehand winner accompanied by a grunt that sounded like a revving high-performance motor.
The crowd laughed. Williams did not.
She means business at Wimbledon, where she has won back-to-back titles and 15 consecutive matches, including a first-round victory on Tuesday over Zheng Jie, 6-3, 6-1.
Williams claimed her most recent Grand Slam title here a year ago, and critics contend she has been distracted in recent months by her interest in acting and fashion design. But Wimbledon again has her undivided attention.
”When I’m on the set of a movie, it’s exciting. I love it,” she said. ”When I’m designing an outfit, I’m really into that. But it just doesn’t beat walking onto Centre Court at Wimbledon.”
Williams beat older sister Venus in the final the past two years. She’s bidding for her seventh major championship and seeking to become the first player to win Wimbledon three consecutive times since Steffi Graf in 1991-93.
”Win, lose or draw, it’s just a great feeling to be defending champion at Wimbledon,” she said. ”I don’t get that feeling at any other Grand Slam. I just get it here at Wimbledon.”
The top-seeded Williams started well enough in her latest title bid, winning nine of the first 10 points. But Zheng’s backhand might rival Justine Henin-Hardenne’s as the best in game, and while her soft serve looked tempting, Williams often socked returns long.
An acrobatic leaping overhead slam that dusted the sideline helped Williams close out the first set. Then came the startling grunt early in the second set, and Williams was off to the races.
”I’m playing good,” she said. ”You never hear me say I’m playing good. So that’s pretty confident for me and bold for me to say.”
Williams may have been too generous with her appraisal, because she had 24 unforced errors — more than twice Venus’ total in her first-round win on Monday.
Serena’s score looked lopsided in part because Zheng failed to convert any of her 10 break-point chances.
Still, Williams showed the flair and variety that makes her the player to beat. Her power kept Zheng deep and on the defensive, but she mixed in some finesse, once landing a drop shot 60cm beyond the net when her opponent was 60cm behind the baseline.
Twice Williams even played serve and volley.
”I’m working on different things,” she said. ”It’s important to get that in the first round, as opposed to try to work on them in the quarterfinals and the semifinals. Then you’ll find yourself under too much pressure and making too many mistakes.”
Williams will have another opportunity to experiment in the second round against Stephanie Foretz of France. – Sapa-AP