Williams 'needed' US Open title win

World number one Serena
Williams said she would have
considered 2013 a disappointing
year had she not won her fifth US
Open title on Sunday.
The defending champion, 31, beat
second seed Victoria Azarenka 7-5
6-7 (6-8) 6-1 to claim her second
Grand Slam title of the year following
her French Open win.
Williams has now won 17 Grand
Slam singles titles, seven short of
Margaret Court's all-time major
record of 24 titles and five from Steffi
Graf's Open era mark of 22.
She arrived at Flushing Meadows
having won eight titles and enjoyed a
career-best winning streak of 34
matches in 2013.
But a quarter-final defeat by Sloane
Stephens at the Australian Open and
a fourth-round loss to Sabine Lisicki
at Wimbledon meant Williams felt she
needed another major title in New
York.
"Absolutely," she said. "I felt almost
disappointed with my year, to be
honest.
"I won the French Open but I wasn't
happy with my performances in the
other two Slams - and not even
making it to the quarter-finals of one.
"So I definitely feel a lot better with at
least a second Grand Slam under my
belt this year."
Williams let a double-break lead slip
and failed to serve out the match
twice in Sunday's final, admitting: "I
think I got a little uptight, which
probably wasn't the best thing at that
moment.
"I wasn't playing very smart tennis
then, so I just had to relax and not
do that again. But I did it again."
Azarenka battled superbly to force a
third set, but Williams regained her
poise to dominate the closing stages.
She added: "I thought: 'This is
outrageous that I'm still out here,
because I had a great opportunity to
win already.'
"So I thought: 'You know what? I just
have to relax, calm down and play
smarter tennis.'"
Williams, who began working with
French coach Patrick Mouratoglou
last year, turns 32 later this month,
but retirement remains some way
off.
"I feel great," she said. "I have never
felt better. I feel really fit. I can play a
tournament like this, singles,
doubles, with tough, tough
schedules. For the most part, I felt
really good.
"I haven't felt like this in a number of
years - I'm excited about the
possibilities. I don't know what can
happen. I just keep playing and do
the best that I can."
Mouratoglou says Williams's
determination to prove her ability
every time she steps on court makes
her unique in tennis.
"She is a champion; it is difficult to
explain what is in the mind of a
champion," he said.
"She feels she is the best and this
self-confidence in her game gives her
the will to prove it to herself every
day on the court. She is Serena
Williams and there is only one."
Former US President Bill Clinton
described Williams as an inspiration
to others.
"She always wanted to be someone
who opened up new avenues for
girls and women," he said.
"She is able to play highly
competitive, high concentration
tennis and win, but always be
concerned about why she was really
doing it."
Azarenka, 24, fought valiantly to force
a decider but could not keep the
pressure on Williams as she had in
the previous set.
"I think it was the moment in the
third set that the momentum
changed a little bit and I kind of felt
like I lost that momentum," said the
Belarusian.
"It didn't happen just because I was
out of focus or something. She really
made it happen. In that particular
moment she was tougher today. She
was more consistent and she
deserved to win.
"The game overall, there are things
that could have been better, but I
gave my heart. I fought as hard as I
could.
"So that's what is important for me -
that I lost to a great champion - but
I'm still going to have my head up."