Sparring with Mike Tyson helping Serena Williams in Australian Open bid
Serena Williams has been thinking outside the box in her bid to equal Margaret Court’s grand slam record.
From sparring with Mike Tyson to performing Destiny’s Child hits at a karaoke night, Serena Williams’s pre-season preparations were not quite what you would expect of a 23-times grand-slam singles champion.
At the age of 38, though, there is understandably little motivation to be gained from repetitive drills on a practice court.
It has been interesting, then, in the build-up to the Australian Open to hear from those who watched Williams claim her first title for almost three years in Auckland last week. A constant theme is how relaxed and fresh she appeared to be, which is not always the case when she is contesting tournaments.
Williams’s pre-season camp was the brainchild of her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. For 10 days last month at a resort in Boca Raton, Florida, he assembled a star-studded cast. Tyson, a former world champion boxer, the French DJ Bob Sinclar and the celebrity fitness trainer Shaun T were invited to run a variety of team-building activities for Williams and other players from the Mouratoglou Academy.
One participant was Christopher Eubanks, the world No 220 from the US. The 23-year-old still finds it surreal to recall the night he stood on stage alongside Williams singing Say My Name by Destiny’s Child, and is in no doubt that the camp contributed to her strong showing in Auckland, where she dropped only one set in five matches.
“Everyone enjoyed it,” Eubanks said. “It was a real team atmosphere, from the players to the coaches to the physios. I think you can definitely see some effects of that translating into some very good play by her in Auckland.”
For all the fun-loving in Florida last month, Williams did not let her standards slip on the practice court. She took three months off after her defeat in the US Open final in early September, so was keen to shake off the rust and get back into shape. Eubanks watched as Williams worked her hitting partner hard, something that he has experienced before.
“It is a different level of intensity to any other practice you see,” Eubanks said.
“I have had the chance to hit with her a couple of times and I think it is the most focused I have been on a tennis court. She takes no prisoners, everything is business. There is still a little bit of fun but everything on court is going as hard as you can. You are dialled in from the first ball to the last. Being able to see that up close is huge. It gives you a different perspective of how you should go about your own practices.”
When Williams revealed she was pregnant in April 2017, some thought that the 23rd grand-slam singles title she had claimed three months before at the Australian Open would be her last. Returning to the tour as a mother is extremely challenging and there was uncertainty over whether she would even wish to. Her intentions became clear during a phone call with Mouratoglou when she was seven months pregnant in July, 2017.
“I was at Wimbledon when she called and said, ‘Can you organise a hitting partner for me in September?’ ” Mouratoglou revealed in his new Insider documentary on Eurosport. “I said, ‘Serena, you are giving birth in September.’ And she said, ‘Yes, when I deliver I want to start training.’ I replied, ‘The doctors aren’t going to let you.’ And she just said, ‘Do not underestimate me.’ ”
The main motivation is the opportunity to equal Margaret Court’s record 24 grand slam singles titles. One insider who knows Williams well believes that it is likely that she would have retired before giving birth had she already surpassed Court’s total. But on she goes, still trying to claim that elusive 24th major.
This historic weight on Williams’s shoulders has crippled her in recent grand slam finals. She has lost four over the past year and a half, failing to win a single set. Opponents have picked up on this vulnerability, and the younger generation of players — including Naomi Osaka, 22, and 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu — are not overwhelmed.
“I think if Serena gets to 24, then No 25 will be a lot easier,” Jim Courier, the former world No 1 who is commentatingfor the Nine Network, said. “I think there’s a little bit of a barrier there, from watching her play closely in those four finals, that she’s feeling. She’s playing wonderfully to get to the final, and then in the final she hasn’t been able to capture that same form. But she’s the greatest. I do think she’ll figure it out.”
It would be quite a moment if Williams were to make history in front of Court, who has been invited to attend the women’s singles final to mark the 50th anniversary of her calendar grand slam in 1970.
The 77-year-old Australian is a controversial figure, criticised by many for her vehement opposition to same-sex marriage, and it is clear that Williams has little time for her. With this in mind, organisers have already decided that Court will not take part in the presentation ceremony.
One cannot overstate the level of support that Williams has from some of the sport’s legends. An abiding memory from sitting in Arthur Ashe Stadium during last year’s US Open final was the sight of former world No 1 Billie Jean King’s partner, Ilana Kloss, sitting in the front row with her head in her hands as it became clear that Williams was going to lose. Kloss, King and many others will no doubt watch on with particular interest over the next fortnight, willing Williams on in her efforts to remove Court’s name from the record books.
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