WTA star explains why Serena Williams intimidated her badly before matches
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World number 38 Sorana Cirstea admitted in an interview on the “La Fileu” podcast that Serena Williams was intimidating even before the encounters against her began. “She intimidated me badly. She was trained to do this, to intimidate you from the locker room.
First of all, Serena wasn’t talking to anyone in the locker room, to any other players. We have a common changing room. It’s a little weird at first when you see someone on TV and then you go play against them. In the locker room, she didn’t talk to anyone and had an aura that intimidated you,” said Cirstea.
Cirstea told a story about a time when she had to split the entry tunnel with Serena and how that felt for her. “I won’t forget, I was playing the final in Toronto in 2013. I was playing very well, I had beaten good players.
You have the tunnel that leads you to the arena. Normally, in the tunnel, until you are called, you have about 5 minutes. It’s a point where you have to meet. Everyone, the moment they took you over, you go alone. The team goes to the other side and goes into the stands.
She stayed with all the staff, always. I was alone there, small, and she was with the staff. She was surrounded by many people. She was sitting with all those people in the tunnel. She had a trainer, sparring, trainer, physio, mother, sister, puppy, puppy groomer,” said Cirstea in the “La Fileu” podcast.
Cirstea: “Everything was a message”
“You woke up alone, she was with 10 people next to her, tall, massive, who commanded a lot of respect,” confessed the Romanian. “They were laughing, joking, and making a bit of a joke.
You entered the field, went to the bench, then she entered, in cheers, in delirium. In the warm-up, you hit the ball a little off the back, off the line, and then you go and do some volleys. From the back, she gave the ball easily, at 2km/h.
When it came to volleys, he was shooting fully into you, everything was a message. You were entering the match and you were already defensive. And when she was in her best form, she was top, she served amazing, she served a leisurely 200 km/h.
I serve an average 170, we’re talking about the first serve. She was serving 190 consistently, and not only was she serving hard, she was serving very consistently. In her day, she was an extraordinary player. She knew when to hit the gas, she had power and impeccable technique.
She was also smart about the game, knowing when to hit the gas and when to let go. She had impeccable technique. I didn’t play with her that many times to be able to feel comfortable, she was very hard to beat,” Sorana Cîrstea explained.
Read More: WTA star explains why Serena Williams intimidated her badly before matches 2022-10-28 12:10:12