Agnieszka Radwanska, the No 4 seed at this week's Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, has saluted the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, for turning back the clock in the Australian Open final and showing they are still the dominant forces in the game.
Serena is the real No 1
“If Serena is on fire, then of course, No 1 is her,” said Radwanska, who is due to open her ninth Dubai campaign against Elise Mertens later on Tuesday. “She is definitely playing amazing tennis again. She is not playing an awful lot of tournaments, so it’s always hard to expect what she is going to do and where she is going to be. But if she is there and playing her best, it’s tough. What she achieved at the Australian Open, it was unbelievable. She well deserved it and she played amazing tennis.”
Venus can play unbelievable too
“Venus, for sure, was very impressive too,” added Radwanska, about the elder Williams sister, who will be celebrating her 37th birthday in June. “But surprising? On the one hand, a little bit yes because there are so many other young players playing great tennis, healthy, strong and motivated. But on the other side, she is still Venus. She can also play unbelievable tennis. She played so many good matches in Australia. She did not have an easy draw and she could still play unbelievable, right until the end.”
No matches, no problem
When Serena showed up in Melbourne for the Australia Open, she had played only two matches since her loss to Karolina Pliskova in the US Open semi-final. She had looked far from convincing in those two matches in a windy Auckland, but won her 23rd grand slam without dropping a set. “She came back and showed again who is No 1,” said Radwanska.
Less is better for Serena
“Serena has so much experience and she has played for so many years on the Tour,” said Radwanska. “It’s not like she is going to forget how to play tennis. I don’t think she is losing that much rhythm so fast. I think she has played so many tournaments and she has been on the Tour for 20 years. So I think, for her less is better and she can still win the grand slam after not playing a couple of months.”
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