Agnieszka Radwanska has always been tipped as an extremely handy player. A former Wimbledon and French Open junior champion, the Pole has the talent to challenge the big names in tennis, but, lacking the powerful game, she was overshadowed by the big-hitters Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova.
Something ticked last summer though and a series of successful tournaments put Agie back in the spotlight. Showing a consistency of steel, she managed to quietly climb up the rankings, making it all the way to number 3 at the start of the Wimbledon fortnight. Even though theoretically she should be amongst the heavy favorites, few actually expected her to go deep in the draw. Lacking any lethal weapons, the big names don't really fear her and that's probably what makes her such a dangerous opponent. Her ability to mix up shots, to play with different effects and to not make mistakes eventually frustrates her stronger rivals. She just plays with their mind and that's what helps her win matches in which she starts as the underdog.
She proved it again this year at Wimbledon where Radwanska wrote history for her country, becoming the first Pole (male or female) to get to a Grand Slam final. And she did it by beating some fierce competitors along the way, namely Maria Kirilenko in the quarters, respectively Angelique Kerber in the semis. Contesting her first Slam final against Serena Williams, she knew it would take something special to trick the American. At one point she almost made it, but Serena's huge serving and killer groundstrokes eventually proved too much for her to handle. Although credit must be given to her for recovering from 2-4 down in the second set to push the match into a decider, Williams managed to relax, regrouped herself and served her way to her fifth Wimbledon crown.
If she would have won the final, Agnieszka will have become the new world number 1 on Monday. Unfortunately though, she now needs to wait some more before finally achieving that objective. She will be ranked just below Victoria Azarenka, at number 2, setting a new career high.
photos: GETTY IMAGES
She proved it again this year at Wimbledon where Radwanska wrote history for her country, becoming the first Pole (male or female) to get to a Grand Slam final. And she did it by beating some fierce competitors along the way, namely Maria Kirilenko in the quarters, respectively Angelique Kerber in the semis. Contesting her first Slam final against Serena Williams, she knew it would take something special to trick the American. At one point she almost made it, but Serena's huge serving and killer groundstrokes eventually proved too much for her to handle. Although credit must be given to her for recovering from 2-4 down in the second set to push the match into a decider, Williams managed to relax, regrouped herself and served her way to her fifth Wimbledon crown.
If she would have won the final, Agnieszka will have become the new world number 1 on Monday. Unfortunately though, she now needs to wait some more before finally achieving that objective. She will be ranked just below Victoria Azarenka, at number 2, setting a new career high.
photos: GETTY IMAGES
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