NEW YORK: When Serena Williams plays in the US Open semifinals on Saturday, her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, probably will pull out a pen and jot some notes in his ever-present black notebook.
He does that at most of her matches, finding things to focus on so Williams can keep improving. Yes, that’s right: Williams already owns 16 Grand Slam titles, is ranked No. 1, is three weeks from her 32nd birthday — and yet she still wants to get better.
“She’s open to discussion, changing things,” Mouratoglou said. “She’s very open to working hard .”
“She’s working like if she was 19 years old and she wanted to win her first Grand Slam.”
Williams is two wins away from her second consecutive US Open championship and fifth in all.
Having dropped a total of 13 games through five matches — including a 6-0, 6-0 victory in the quarterfinals — she next faces No. 5 Li Na of China, the 2011 French Open winner. No. 2 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, the two-time Australian Open champion and last year’s runner-up in New York, meets 83rd-ranked Flavia Pennetta of Italy in Saturday’s other semifinal. (Agencies)