Serena Williams is widely considered the favorite to win the U.S. Open. In her first two matches, she certainly didn’t disappoint.
Williams, who entered the tournament on a 12-match winning streak, swept Bojana Jovanovski (6-1, 6-1) in her opening match and then cruised to an effortless (6-0, 6-1) victory over Michaella Krajicek — in just 49 minutes — in the second round. She improved to 14-0 on hard court in 2011.
How is she doing it?
“What I do, I pretend there’s like a check for like a million dollars,” Williams told ESPN. “And if you get it, if you run it down, you get the money tax-free.”
(For the record, her U.S. Open champion’s check would be for $2.8 million.)
Williams’ sister, Venus, is suffering from Sjogren’s syndrome and had to withdraw from the U.S. Open. Serena expects her to fight through it and get back out there.
“I’ve been praying for her,” she said. “She’ll be fine. This is just another battle.”
