I was watching Serena play in the US Open semi's this morning. I like her and she has obviously been the dominant player on the womens tour for a while but every time I watch her play, I can't help but wonder how much better she could be. I wonder how scary good she could be if she lost the extra 15lbs of body fat. (I know, I know, she is VERY strong and very muscular but let's not kid ourselves, she would be so much quicker and have more stamina if she was carrying less excess. And for those of you who may still be offended by my comment, I am comparing to the general physical condition of the other women on the pro tennis tour).
The other area I always wonder about is mental/emotional toughness. It's sort of a breath of fresh air to see a player show emotion the way she does but, at least on the surface, it appears she could be much stronger in this area and it could benefit her game significantly. Past men and women tennis champions have seemingly been in far more control of their emotions. Today, she clearly showed nerves (in spite of continued denial) in her loss to an unranked opponent. Is she "settling", knowing she can beat her competition most often as is? How often do champions settle?