For all the talk in recent days of a possible Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal men’s final at the Australian Open, it has almost been overlooked that an even bigger story could occur in the women’s event with Venus Williams chasing a first grand slam title in eight years.
Now 36, Williams had virtually been written off a couple of years ago, her battle with Sjogren’s syndrome making it almost impossible for her to produce her best, especially over seven matches in the fortnight of a grand slam.
But Williams is no mere mortal, the winner of seven grand slams, including five Wimbledons, and a woman who, together with her sister Serena, have transformed the women’s game.
Tomorrow, Williams will take on another American, the unseeded Coco Vandeweghe, who followed up her win over the world No.1 and defending champion Angelique Kerber by crushing seventh seed Garbine Muguruza 6-4, 6-0 yesterday.
But Williams seems to be on a mission and her 6-4, 7-6 win over Anastasia Pavlyuhenkova of Russia means she is into the semi-finals here for the first time since 2003.
She is the oldest woman to make the last four in Melbourne in the Open era and she is the oldest woman to reach the semi-finals of any of the four grand slams since Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 1994.
At times, Williams can meander through her press conferences, but yesterday she was as focused as she had been on the court, knowing she is two matches away from what would be one of the most remarkable victories in grand slam history.
“For me the mindset now is just complete execution of my game,” she said. “This is the best thing I can do for myself. There's not another option for me other than to do that.”
And whereas in the past she was not quite sure what kind of performance she would be capable of, now she believes she can win.
“Why shouldn't I?” she said. “I try to believe. Should I look across the net and believe the person across the net deserves it more?
“This mentality is not how champions are made. I'd like to be a champion, in particular this year. The mentality I walk on court with is: I deserve this.”
Vandweghe, though, may present a big challenge for Williams, especially if she replicates the performances she showed against Kerber and then yesterday against Muguruza.
The French Open stayed with Vandeweghe in the first set but one break at the end saw to that and the American then ripped through the second.
When she was young, Vandeweghe once asked Williams for an autograph at a tournament in California and facing someone she looked up to so much presents its challenges.
“It's a dream to play someone you grew up watching,” she said. “To play an unbelievable player, future Hall of Famer, Venus, to be on the court with her, I've only experienced it one time before (on clay, a match she lost). But to do it at this stage of a Grand Slam is kind of crazy.”
It will also be Vandeweghe’s first ever grand slam semi-final but she seems to love the stage and she has the belief that she, too, belongs at this level.
“I don't shy away from a challenge, I never have,” she said. “Growing up, I've always just wanted to prove people wrong.
“I take it as an enjoyable challenge. It's what I want to do. It's where I want to be. To face the best players is definitely an accomplishment, to say for myself that I've gotten to the point that I've beat and faced these top players.”
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