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Serena noches yet another RECORD!

7K views 74 replies 35 participants last post by  JN 
#1 ·
The feats and records that this lady captures (and at the twilight of her tennis years) is unfathomable!

Keep going Serena!!!

Serena & Margaret: An Unmatchable Feat?



EL PASO, TX, USA - At the end of October one of the WTA's true legends, Margaret Osborne duPont, passed away in El Paso, Texas at the age of 94, leaving behind a legacy that included 37 Grand Slam titles across all three disciplines - six in singles, 21 in doubles and 10 in mixed doubles.

Meanwhile over in Istanbul, Turkey, Serena Williams was continuing her 2012 domination of the WTA - among her titles this year were the Wimbledon and US Open singles and the Wimbledon doubles crowns, bringing her career Grand Slam haul to 30 - 15 in singles, 13 in doubles and two in mixed doubles.

But capturing 30 or more Grand Slam titles - and across all three of the disciplines too - isn't all that connects Osborne duPont and Williams. They share an absolutely incredible and perhaps ummatchable feat...

They are the only two players in the history of women's tennis to fight back from match point down en route to winning multiple Grand Slam singles titles.

Osborne duPont achieved the feat twice, saving match points to beat Pauline Betz in the 1946 French Open final, 16 86 75, and again against Louise Brough in the final of the 1948 US Open final, winning that one, 46 64 1513.
Williams has done it three times, at the 2003 Australian Open (saving two match points down 5-2 in the third set of her 46 63 75 semifinal win over Kim Clijsters), the 2005 Australian Open (saving three match points down 5-4 in the third set of her 26 75 86 semifinal win over Maria Sharapova), and last but certainly not least, 2009 Wimbledon (saving one match point down 5-4 in the third set of her 67(4) 75 86 semifinal victory over Elena Dementieva).

"The mental toughness you have to have to be match point down and come back, not only to win that match but to also win the tournament, it means a lot," Williams said of the rare statistic during her run in Istanbul. "You have to be really ready mentally to do that. She must have been really tough.

"It's a shame we've lost such a great ambassador for women's tennis."

DuPont's six Grand Slam singles titles were made up of two French Opens, one Wimbledon and three US Opens; her 21 Grand Slam doubles titles were made up of three French Opens, five Wimbledons and 13 US Opens; and her 10 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles were one Wimbledon and nine US Opens. She never contested the Australian Open and her career haul is fourth all-time following Margaret Court, Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King.
 
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#4 ·
LOL. Sorry, but if you have allowed your opponent to get as close as one point from winning the match, it usually means that you play pretty bad.

Just one unreturnable serve, one netcord or one lucky shot that clips the line and you lost, whether being a mental giant or not.

It's obviously far more impressive to win slams without facing any matchpoint or even setpoint at all.

But I understand that it's still a few weeks before the Australian swing starts.
 
#27 ·
I think Serena did amazing comeback from dead, but overall i think Seles comaback was a little bit more impressive (I don't talk about the results) cause Serena knew what she could do on the court and what she couldn't and if she knew she could die or something she wouldn't take risk. As for Seles it was tougher mentally cause the main problem was in her head. I'm sure she was like: "What if that will happen again". I personally wouldn't be able to concetrate on a ball after something like that, knowing that there could be around some crazy person to stabb me again.
 
#7 ·
Serena has been 3 points away from losing in 10 of her 15 slam victories I think.

1999 USO - 2 points (maybe 3?) away vs Clijsters
2002 RG - 3 points (maybe 2? maybe 4? :eek:) away vs Capriati
2003 AO - saved MP's vs Clijsters, 2 points away vs Loit
2005 AO - saved MP's vs Sharapova
2007 AO - 2 points away vs Peer, 3 points away vs Petrova
2009 AO - 2 (3?) points away vs Kuznetsova
2009 Wimbledon - saved MP against Dementieva
2010 AO - 3 points away vs Azarenka
2012 Wimbledon - 3 points away vs Shvedova, 4 points away vs Zheng
2012 USO - 2 points away vs Azarenka

:crying2:
 
#8 ·
Serena has been 3 points away from losing in 10 of her 15 slam victories I think.

1999 USO - 2 points (maybe 3?) away vs Clijsters
2002 RG - 3 points (maybe 2? maybe 4? :eek:) away vs Capriati
2003 AO - saved MP's vs Clijsters, 2 points away vs Loit
2005 AO - saved MP's vs Sharapova
2007 AO - 2 points away vs Peer, 3 points away vs Petrova
2009 AO - 2 (3?) points away vs Kuznetsova
2009 Wimbledon - saved MP against Dementieva
2010 AO - 3 points away vs Azarenka
2012 Wimbledon - 3 points away vs Shvedova, 4 points away vs Zheng
2012 USO - 2 points away vs Azarenka

:crying2:
that is pretty amazing!

i dont know how many times capriati has been 2 points away from the us open finals during her 3 marathon SF defeats!
 
#15 ·
It'll probably happen again at the Australian .
 
#25 ·
well, since Serena shares the record with most majors won without losing a set..I guess it balances out. She can win it dominating, she can tough it out..
 
#30 ·
Though she doesn't share the record, I agree that it's worth pointing out that with 4 majors won without dropping a set she is only behind Martina(6) and Steffi/Chrissy(5) with huge chance to join the the latter as early as next year, especially if her serve and mental toughness are clicking at Wimbledon.
 
#31 ·
:hysteric: Leeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!! :hysteric:

Nonetheless, an interesting bit of tennis history.
 
#36 · (Edited)
When it comes to Serena and records, feats, accolades, achievements, discussions of dominance, raising the bar, etc...

Why do people suddenly go batshit crazy and lose there minds? :crying2:

Regardless of what you say dragonflies, it is a record (AND a feat).

I'm gonna be nice and help you out and then leave it at that:

noun \ˈre-kərd also -ˌkȯrd\
Definition of RECORD

1
: the state or fact of being recorded

2
: something that records: as
a : something that recalls or relates past events
b : an official document that records the acts of a public body or officer
c : an authentic official copy of a document deposited with a legally designated officer
d : the official copy of the papers used in a law case

3
a (1) : a body of known or recorded facts about something or someone especially with reference to a particular sphere of activity that often forms a discernible pattern <a good academic record> <a liberal voting record> (2) : a collection of related items of information (as in a database) treated as a unit
b (1) : an attested top performance (2) : an unsurpassed statistic.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/record
Please let it go.
You are dead wrong on this issue and it's now become embarrassing.

My last post on the issue of "record".

------------------------------------------------------

This is the first time I've seen where Serena has successfully beat out a major top great.
There was a recent thread where several posters emphatically stated that Serena will never surpass players like Margaret Court, Navratilova, Evert, etc...
That is why I found this article "exciting". :lol:
 
#39 ·
When it comes to Serena and records, feats, accolades, achievements, discussions of dominance, raising the bar, etc...

Why do people suddenly go batshit crazy and lose there minds? :crying2:

Regardless of what you say dragonflies, it is a record (AND a feat).

I'm gonna be nice and help you out and then leave it at that:

Please let it go.
You are dead wrong on this issue and it's now become embarrassing.

My last post on the issue of "record".

------------------------------------------------------

This is the first time I've seen where Serena has successfully beat out a major top great.
There was a recent thread where several posters emphatically stated that Serena will never surpass players like Margaret Court, Navratilova, Evert, etc...
That is why I found this article "exciting". :lol:




It's indeed embarrassing. It happens when people are unable to distinguish the meaning of the words and related to the true event to make senses.


Based on the dictionary's definition that you provided, record is a stats that represents " top performance", " unable to surpass". Giving the AO's 03 and 05, the USO 12's fields, against that certain 21 players that she had to face, what would be a top performance : beating them w/o dropping a set, or struggling to save mps to the win? Since the later doesn't match up well with the definition, it would not be a record. You mistaken the record which is a " desirable" stats with a "record" which is not a " desirable" stats.





The " records" in any sports is like the top performances, the top numbers that everyone strikes for ie, record of the lowest seconds a sprinter has to run to finish a 100m distance, 200m butterfly swimming that everyone who participate will go through to aim for that.


This "record" of Serena's, while showing her extraordinary mental toughness, wasn't applied for every players as they wouldn't want to let themselves into those extreme situations then dig them out of the holes. Therefore it's unlikely anyone will break " this record". Even Serena didn't get to make this "record" by choice. She didn't want to be mps down, but just happened to be in those circumstances and was able to get out.


Since the " record" doesn't apply to all the participants or seeing as a " top performance" as stated in that definition, it would not considered " a record" for it own sake. It's rather be a stats, albeit a remarkable stats, and while it shows Serena's extreme mental toughness, let's not pretend that is some " record" that other players are trying to break when they are competing in Grand Slams.
 
#38 ·
Three of her worst losses (Makarova at AO, Razzano at RG, Caro at Miami) have come in quite big tourneys. Her year could've been even better :).
 
#40 ·
This thread :lol:
 
#53 ·
Another brilliant thread from RVD who again is becoming aggressive as soon as someone calls him out on his BS. :bs:

When will that clown finally be banned and restricted to the only area where his deluded posts have any reason to exist (Serena forum that is)?

:help:
 
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#46 ·
So now what, Dominic? As shown..the record for most majors won with losing a set is 6 by Navratilova and Serena has 4. So clearly winning a major without losing is a rarer occurance than winning while dropping sets here and there.

So why r u all over Serena?! :lol: :shrug: I know...haters can only hate. :wavey:
 
#56 ·
So much hate whenever Serena extends her GREATNESS!

This thread brought out the Serena haters, as expected.

So many so butt-hurt while Serena continues to do-her-thang to extend her legendary status and records. :devil:

Rest assured Haterz, that whenever Serena accomplishes anything that sets her apart from past or present faves, it WILL be posted, and you will all simply have to lick your pathetic wounds as she continues her ever forward progression to distance herself from her WTA constituents. :toothy::banana:
 
#58 ·
I almost had a heart attack when serena came to net against dementieva on match point. Especially since she messed up like 5 easy volleys before that.
 
#59 ·
Nice to learn about Margaret Osborne duPont. We don't learn enough about some of the players of the past.

Even though this record that Serena is supposed to have "notched" is not that important ultimately, coming back from match point down and winning is basically what we expect of champions--so I don't know why some want to say it diminishes the quality of your win. :shrug: No matter. The win is the win is the win is the win.

I enjoyed reading about Margaret Osborne duPont. :)
 
#60 ·
^ Indeed. Thank God for Serena, cuz w/o her we'd probably never hear about these vintage players who she joins in the record books. :worship:
 
#67 ·
No, YOU would probably never hear about them. Some of us already knew.
 
#64 ·
Slam Winners Saving Match Point



This was the best list that I could locate.

This one is great because the data also includes the number of match points saved.

Jennifer Capriati had the most saves in a slam Final, and that was vs Martina Hingis. at the 2002 AO. :cool:

There's one for the ATP as well but who cares. :lol:
 
#65 ·
Slam Winners Saving Match Point



This was the best list that I could locate.

This one is great because the data also includes the number of match points saved.

Jennifer Capriati had the most saves in a slam Final, and that was vs Martina Hingis. at the 2002 AO. :cool:

There's one for the ATP as well but who cares. :lol:
what's that :oh:
 
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