Despite some glimpses of brilliance from Azarenka throughout the year, Serena still remains the dominant figure in women's tennis. Since winning Wimbledon in 2012, the American was practically unstoppable. The defeats were few and unimportant, as she went on to collect four Grand Slam titles, two Season-Ending Championships crowns, as well as two Olympic gold medals in the time span.
She reclaimed the world No.1 ranking in February, in Doha, becoming thus the oldest player to achieve the feat. The success whet her appetite, and the American began playing more to consolidate the position. She contested 15 tournaments, the most she's played in her career, winning 11 of them, and reaching the final in two other occasions. As said, she was basically invincible, and without an utterly motivated Azarenka, there really isn't anyone who can stand a chance against her.
Although I feel she isn't as dominant as she once was, her will power is from outta this world. As showed during the WTA Championships in Istanbul, her opponents cannot really break through the mental barrier and beat her. The last two encounters were extremely difficult for a fatigued Serena. First, she was required to dig deep to survive the Jankovic assault, to then have to rely on the mental fragility of Chinese Na Li to defend her title. Li completely melted down while leading 6-3,3-0, losing nine consecutive games to gift away the title. It probably wasn't the most straightforward triumph, but the thing that matters most for the American is that she is winning matches, even when she is not playing her best. There are a few who can take advantage of this erratic display though, and I am referring mostly about the younger generation. We saw Sloane Stephens defeat Serena in Melbourne, and Sabine Lisicki stun her at Wimbledon, but unfortunately for the rest, the more experienced ones, beating Serena is a rare feat to achieve.
With an out-of-sorts Vika struggling to find motivation, I was expecting the American to cruised through the Istanbul draw. It wasn't quite a walk in the park though. Her journey could have ended in the semis, but it didn't, mostly because of her astonishing mental strength. Despite the hiccups, Williams successfully defended the title, strengthening her authority at the top of rankings.
With 11 crowns and an amazing 78-4 match record, this was definitely Serena's year. I think that if Vika plays her best tennis more constantly, we might have a completely different story next season. For now though, Williams is the undisputed WTA Queen.
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| Following her fabulous 2013 season, Serena was crowned this year's No.1 player. She received the distinction during the an Award Ceremony held in Istanbul. |
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| Finding resources only she knew existed, Serena reeled off nine straight games to dismiss Na Li's stiff challenge to secure her second consecutive WTA Championships title. The American won 2-6,6-3,6-0 to successfully defend her Istanbul crown. |
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