World number one Serena Williams made two eye-popping demonstrations of her flexibility at the WTA Finals on Monday during the match with Ana Ivanovic.
Having won 6-4 6-4 over Ivanovic, Williams provided a startling exhibition of just how much her troublesome knee has improved since she pulled out of two events in China. (Scroll down for photos)
On the court in Singapore on Monday, Williams was tentative to start but quickly got her stride. Midway through the first set, she sprinted so hard to try and chase down a forehand from Ivanovic that she ended up doing the splits.
The crowd gasped in wonder as she bounced back up to her feet like an Olympic gymnast. Then she did the splits again in the second set, showing she has the elasticity to compliment her renowned power.
“I do work on my flexibility, but not for tennis, because I dance,” she later told a news conference.
“I guess it comes in handy. Like knocking two birds out with one stone.”
Williams’ stellar performance in the match may have been helped on by recent negative comments from Russian Tennis Federation President Shamil Tarpischev, who called the number one ranked player and her sister Venus the ‘Williams brothers’ and ‘scary to look at’ during an appearance on a Russian TV show this month.
At a press conference in Singapore on Sunday, the younger Williams sister thanks the Women’s Tennis Association for its swift response to the comments, suspending Tarpischev for a year and ordering him to pay a $25,000 fine.
About the comments, Williams said: “I thought they were very insensitive and extremely sexist as well as racist at the same time. I thought they were in a way bullying.”
Check out more Serena Williams’ splits:
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