Liguori: Hall Of Fame Coach Nick Bollettieri Advises Serena Williams Not To Talk About Calendar Grand Slam
By Ann Liguori
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The only thing that can get in the way of Serena Williams winning the calendar Grand Slam are nerves.
The pressure of closing in on a historic calendar grand slam has to be taking its toll on Serena, but despite the nerves, Serena managed to beat Bethanie Mattek- Sands in their third round battle, 3-6, 7-5, 6-0.
Fans of Serena and even Serena herself had to be worried during the first set and a half, that Mattek-Sands, ranked 101 in the world, would pull off an incredible upset.
Mattek-Sands' came out of the starting blocks smacking winners right and left, while Serena struggled with 14 unforced errors in the first set. The 30-year-old Mattek-Sands, who's ranking dropped after undergoing hip surgery, had the momentum against Serena until late in the second set when Serena finally got her nerves under control and her serve kicked in.
But for a set in a half, it was painful to watch, as Serena fought herself to calm down.
Hall of Fame coach Nick Bolletieri, who helped coach Serena and Venus early in their careers, told me on Friday that he's been texting Serena regularly this week and advising her not to talk about the calendar Grand Slam.
"Just try to play the tennis. Stay out of the interviews, and what's going to happen is going to happen," the 84-year-old advised. Bollettieri continued, "If it boils down to the ability to strike the ball and hit the big serves, certainly the advantage goes to Serena. However, the mental part of anything in life is the determining factor. We all know she's strong enough, big enough. I believe the mental aspect and how she goes out for each match will have the biggest impact."
"The less you talk about it," Bollettieri reiterated, "the better you will be...there are a lot of people who would love to be spoilers and have their name talked about in all the broadcasts..."
When I asked Nick what advice he would give Serena to control her nerves, he said "When you become nervous, you lose flexibility, and normally you make quick decisions and low percentage shots. My thought is this: change the pace a little bit, relax, let your anger be released and be ready to play the next point."
Listen to music, watch your sister play, go out and practice...its' hard not to think about it..." Bollettieri added.
Serena will next play American Madison Keys in the Rd of 16. Keys, the 19th seed, knocked out the 15th seed Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets. Keys' breakthrough season continues, with personal bests at each Major this year, getting to the semifinals at the Australian Open, the third round at Roland Garros, the Quarterfinals at Wimbledon and now the Round of 16 at the US Open.
Venus Williams looked impressive in her straight set win over Belinda Bencic earlier on Friday, setting up what could be a potential quarter-final match-up between the Williams sisters.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Serena must take one match at a time, focus on the match against Keys and most importantly, keep herself calm so she can play her own game.
