Halloween 3

by Pete Bodo

One of the things that makes Serena Williams such a riveting character is that more than any other athlete I've covered, she exudes attitude. Everything about her seems to cry out, Just Give Me the Damn Ball! And as tennis is a largely sport of individuals, this take-charge sensibility overshadows even that of the former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson, who actually wrote the book of that name, although the ball he was talking about was not the little optic yellow pill, but the oblong pigskin. But why sweat the details?

If you wanted to quibble with or pick apart Serena's attitude, you could say that the basic problem is that when you give her the danged ball these days, she often doesn't seem to want it, or doesn't know what to do with it. It's like she's got it, she looks down at it, and the thought-bubble pops up: Remind me what I'm supposed to do with this? If I were an opponent of hers, I'd fall to me knees and whisper, Thank God for small blessings. . .

Here at the Sony-Ericsson Open today, Serena lost the first set of a match for the fifth time this year,  to Li Na. Or Na Li. Or. . . well, let Li Na  herself explain: "In China we call family name first and then the name. I mean, a lot of people ask me what I want they call for my name, Li Na or Na Li?  I said it doesn't matter because my name is so short, so easy to call. So doesn't matter."

Those five slow starts by Serena are especially striking because on eight other occasions she's given up five or fewer games in winning a match. I suppose you could look at first-serve percentages, break-points held, or unforced backhand errors to shed light on Serena's first-set vulnerabilities, but she had an even simpler and more comprehensive explanation, which she offered up after subduing LiNa,  4-7,7-6(1),6-2,: "I don't know, I'm really moody, so maybe that had something to do with it."

In other words, don't let that orange-and-white dress that makes Serena look like a big, juicy piece of candy corn fool you. She's got a razor blade buried there, and at any moment she's going to turn this pleasant Halloween party (did you try the hot apple cider?) into Halloween with a number after it and a really scary trailer. She did that to Na (first name) Li (last name) today. The details aren't worth delving into; LiNa had multiple break points, but failed to convert enough of them to stay in the match once Serena shook off her first-set cobwebs (Serena saved 9 of 12 break points, and when you consider that she was down 0-5 before the bats even flew down from the belfry, it tells you something).

"After she win the second set," LiNa said, "I didn't think I have a chance. . . also she have good serve in final set so a little bit (I) give up." That's one thing about Serena when she's got the the burners on; she teaches her opponents that sometimes discretion really is the better part of valor.

LiNa double-faulted eight times in the final set, just for good measure.

The Chinese girl is a fine little player, though, and in good shape -  despite that fashionable little mound of tummy revealed by her sausage-casing white top. I've always enjoyed her game - it's clean, economical, and solid off both wings. I suppose you might call it "boring", but I don't get bored by elegance; I get far more irritated by needless flourishes and baroque contortions of the kind you get from a Caroline Wozniacki. She's a fine player, no doubt about it, but she looks like she's falling from the top of a 34-story building when she hits the ball.

Where were we?

Okay. LiNa. We'll cut her some slack, partly because she's a charming young thing and, more pertinently, because she's survived some serious setbacks in the form of two knee surgeries and extended time away from the smoke and din of the battlefield. She's on the comeback trail, and I'd keep my eye on her in the upcoming two Grand Slam events. When LiNa was asked about her immediate goals, she replied: "This year the goal is. . . I hope I can play the whole year. I didn't want injury anymore, because last year I only play like like six month, and also year before I only play half-year.

"So I mean, for me, i was like, I have two-time the operation. Every time I was in the hospital I watch the girls play the match. I was like, What I do? Every player, they play ten month a year, but I only play six month a year. What should I do? I have a lot of time for the rest. So hopefully, no injury anymore. I didn't like that."

Without the protection of a seeding, LiNa played five rounds here, and she says the experience gave her increased confidence. She just has to stay away from the candy corn; sometimes there's a razor blade buried inside.