Associated Press
WIMBLEDON, England -- Judging by results this year, Serena Williams shouldn’t be considered the favorite among the four remaining women at Wimbledon.
She’s won fewer matches in 2012 than any of the other three semifinalists, has just the third-highest ranking among them and is by far the oldest of the group.
But when it comes to crunch time in a Grand Slam tournament, there’s usually no one better.
Williams is two wins away from her 14th major title, while the other three semifinalists have one Grand Slam victory among them. Two of them -- Agnieszka Radwanska and Angelique Kerber -- have never been in a major final.
Of the 20 previous Grand Slam semifinals Williams has played in, she won 17.
So while Williams still has to get past Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka on Thursday, there’s no question who her rivals view as the player to beat.
"Serena is just great champion. When she’s on fire, I really don’t want her on my part of the draw. That’s for sure," said the third-ranked Radwanska. "I think she’s still in shape. She’s still looking good on court. She’s playing still a good tennis, running like [she’s] 18 years old."
Williams is 30 now, actually, and is bidding to become the first woman at least that age to win a major title since Martina Navratilova won at Wimbledon in 1990 at the age of 33. The second-oldest
But with age comes experience, and Williams has more of that than the other three combined. In fact, she has more career titles (41), more wins at Wimbledon (65) and more wins at Grand Slams (216) than the other three combined.
Williams, though, was quick to point out that momentum also plays a part, and that Azarenka has an edge in that department. The Belarusian started the year with a 26-match winning streak that included her first Grand Slam title in Australia.
"She’s had a better year than I have," Williams said. "She’s been so successful already, like I said, winning a Grand Slam. Going against a player like that, I feel like she almost has an advantage, I guess. So that makes me really relaxed and I can just kind of hit."
She did that emphatically in her quarterfinal against Petra Kvitova, eliminating the defending champion in straight sets underneath the roof on Centre Court on Tuesday to send a clear message that she’s back to her best.
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