American Serena Williams is not feeling the pressure as she bids to complete her grand slam set this year by winning the US Open. Victory at Flushing Meadows would see Williams, who has already triumphed at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon in 2015; become the first female player to complete a calendar slam since Steffi Graf in 1988.
It would make the
American the fourth woman in history to achieve the feat while also bringing
her level with Graf's total of 22 grand slam titles and two short of Margaret
Court's all-time best 24.
Williams' US Open campaign begins against Russian Vitalia Diatchenko and the 33-year-old says insists she has not been affected by the hype.
“I don't feel that fresh
pressure”. “If I make it far, maybe I'll start to feel pressure, but as of now,
I really don't feel any. I'm just here to perform and to do the best I can”. “I
always feel there's another record, then there's always another person to catch
up with or to pass”.
'I never really thought I would be in this position where I would even be talking about records, passing Steffi Graf or even mentioning Margaret Court”. “I just grew up trying to be the best I could and do the best I could. I worked really hard for everything so to even be mentioned in that conversation is great” said Williams.
Williams beat Spain's
Garbine Muguruza in the Wimbledon final, having overcome Maria Sharapova, Victoria
Azarenka, her sister Venus and Britain's Heather Watson in the earlier rounds
at the All England Club.
A surprise defeat in
Toronto to talented Swiss Belinda Bencic raised eyebrows earlier this month but
Williams returned to form by winning the Cincinnati title last week.
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