*It was more of a challenge than it should’ve been, but defending Wimbledon champion Serena Williams beat 148th-ranked Amra Sadikoic 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the second round on Tuesday.
What looked on paper like a complete mismatch turned into a tighter contest than expected.
“I never underestimate anyone,” said Williams, who had only four aces and served five double faults. “It was a really good match, but I don’t think it was tougher than I thought. It was definitely tough, but I always expect the best from everyone.”
With her mother, Oracene Price, watching from the Royal Box, the six-time Wimbledon champion jumped out to a 3-0 lead, running off 13 points in a row at one stage, defying her reputation as a slow starter.
“I started fast — that’s about it,” Williams said when asked what positives she took from her performance.
The 27-year-old Sadikovic, who decided to retire in 2014 to work at a tennis club in Basel but eventually was talked into returning to the tour, made things tricky for Williams. She took a 2-1 lead in the second set and stayed even until the final game, when she was broken while serving at 4-5.
The match ended on a successful line challenge by Williams after she hit a backhand return that was called long. After the video replay showed the ball hit the back of the line, Williams grinned and threw up her arms in triumph.
Williams, who finished with 19 winners but also had 18 unforced errors, was animated throughout the match as she tried to lift her game.
“I’m always shouting at myself and pushing myself, so it’s absolutely nothing different,” she said.
Since winning last year’s title, Williams has come up short in the majors, losing in the semifinals at the U.S. Open and finals of the Australian and French Opens. She needs one more Grand Slam championship to equal Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 titles.
At her postmatch news conference, Williams was asked how much she thinks about equaling that record.
“I think more or less about winning Australia, I think about winning the French Open,” Williams said. “Didn’t happen. I think about winning Wimbledon. I don’t necessarily think about winning 22.
“Mentally I’ve been further down than anyone can be. Well, maybe not anyone, but I’ve been pretty low. There’s nothing that’s not mentally too hard for me.”
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