Four Reasons Why Serena Will Rise to the Top Again

During the Sony Ericcson Open, Serena Williams played Justin Henin in the quarters. In the past three matches, Serena lost to Henin. These three losses were all at grand slams. However, Serena came back ready to win this time, taking the match 6-2, 6-0. Could this be a sign of things to come? It very well could be. Here are some aspects that you'll see Serena use to stay on top this time around.

Variety

Believe it or not, Serena actually has a decent amount of tools in her arsenal. More times than not we see her utilize power and aggression to win matches, and most of the time that is enough. However, she's not in the same league of one dimension play that someone like Sharapova is. In defeating Henin in Miami, Serena used slice, defensive lobs, and even one handed lobs! We even saw some serve and volley! Don't forget, Serena is actually an adept doubles player. Look for her to use more of these skills to win at least one major this year.

Fitness

This may not seem as big a deal, especially coming from the Australian Open in 2007 where an "out of shape" Serena essentially played herself into shape to demolish Sharapova in the final. Of course, that defies all conventional sports logic. However, Serena is known for consistently breaking the rules. Still, you don't want to have to win every match or tournament coming from behind. Look for Serena to get in even better shape as the year goes on.

Controlled Aggression

Serena can blast the cover off the ball if she wants to. She's known for simply beating her opponents off the court. However, in the match against Henin she displayed patience. She was aggressive with her shots, but she waited for the right moment to pull the trigger. That's what increased confidence does. It allows to you play with your opponent until the right chance comes up. You don't rush it. This year, Serena will be aggressive with the serve and return (look for that 02-03 dominating serve to come back into play).

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