I was watching Serena Williams getting whipped in the final of the Sony Ericcson Open yesterday morning on television but had to leave mid-match to meet my dad at the movies (We saw "The Shooter" and we both liked it a lot!). Serena was down 0-6, 3-4 to top-ranked Justine Henin when I turned the set off wondering if she would be able to find a way back. Well...she did! In an extraordinary display of heart and competitive fire, Serena saved two match points late in the second set to prevail over Henin, 06 75 63, for her fourth career Sony Ericsson Open title. Serena whipped second-seed Maria Sharapova, who she beat in January for the Australian Open title, in an earlier round.
"When I get down, a part of me just plays better," Williams said after the match. "I think all champions have that."
The comeback was nothing new for Williams, who revived her career by winning the Australian Open in January for her eighth Grand Slam title. Once ranked No. 1, she fell to 140th last July because of long layoffs, but will climb back to 11th next week.
This is the most dramatic comeback since Andre Agassi, ranked number one in 1995, fell all the way down to 141 by late 1997. By 1999, he was number one again.
Like Agassi, Serena has enough talent and self-belief to weather these peaks and valleys that most players can never climb out of.