Serena Williams hails Tiger Woods’ influence as she continues her US Open run
Serena Williams was understandably impressed with Woods’ performance on her way to a 6-0 6-2 victory over her Russian opponent. She called the man who broke the American Open’s all-time record for the most major wins “one of the best of all time”.
While Serena had to wait years to win her first Grand Slam singles title, and only once was she unseeded, she says Woods is an inspiration and the reason that she is back.
“He’s someone who is good throughout the tournament. He didn’t have a set plan, but he played so well, so it’s a tribute to who he is as a player and a human being, but he’s a fantastic athlete, he has great athleticism,” Serena said.
“He’s also someone that I’ve been a fan of for a long time,” she added. “I love watching him on tour. It’s great to see, to be able to compete, it’ll be really good to see whether you’re going to make it or not.”
After she beat her compatriot Li Na on Tuesday, Serena turned to the man who she thinks has the best game out there at the moment, and who she calls “one of the best”.
“His record is very, very good,” she said. “He has a very tough schedule that’s very demanding for players, and he still comes through and finishes like he should.”
With Woods’ win on Monday, he has now won 13 majors in a career spanning 509 matches (and counting), with an average of 65.9 per event and an astounding 72.2 per week. He has beaten all the top 10 players in the world in the same number of events.
“It’s a little