Serena's worst enemy is . . . Serena Williams. Yes, that wonderful, athletic, fearsome woman-warrior who has shot to the top of the tennis world and fascinated us all.

Serena Williams strikes awe, and even a little fear, into the spectators, so just imagine what she does to a player on the other side of that net. Serena and her sister Venus's humble beginnings have become modern-day legends, and their class and form are both upheld and adored. So why has Serena lately been struggling? She is the last person on the tour to win all four Grand Slams, so we know that she can dominate on any surface, but what is piquing her? What is her stumbling block?

For one, like any celebrity, Serena's problems are actually not problems at all. This year she has won one Grand Slam, a Tier 1 title, and she has reached the quarter-finals of the remaining three Grand Slams. I'm sorry, and maybe it's me, but I'm having a hard time finding out why this isn't considered success.

'When Serena is mentally fit she is unstoppable'


You, me and everyone else knows that this is a successful season. The problem is that Serena's expectations for herself are extremely - and I do mean extremely - high. And the other problem is that she shares these extremely high expectations with the press and her fans. By doing so she lets us know that if she doesn't attain them, she's not doing so well. Even though she's ranked sixth in the world.

Just how high are her expectations of herself? It's simple. Serena doesn't want to lose a match. Any match. Not at a Grand Slam, and not at a Tier 4 tournament. She doesn't care if it's Justine Henin or anybody else on the other side of the net, she does not expect to lose. Some might argue that this is true for any competitor. But I say, not so. Lest we forget, Marion Bartoli's confession during her Wimbledon fiinal post-match press conference: "I truly am just happy to have made it this far and to play a Williams sister in the final"

For any other player, they hope to win just five Grand Slam titles, let alone eight like Serena has won so far. She's a great player and everyone knows it. Serena's other problem is her competitive spirit. And yes I say competitive spirit rather than her attitude. Her now infamous "lucky shots" dig at Henin was brilliant to say the least.

Whatever happened to athletes being smarted by a loss, saying something off the cuff, and that driving them to perfection? Boxers do it all the time. American football players talk smack ON THE FIELD. And let's not even get to Basketball. Don't you know there's a reason you can't ever hear what the players are saying to each other on the court?

My point is athletes, true athletes, make the type of comments that Serena and Justine have made about each other. It'll never go away. So people need to grow up and remember this isn't little league. This is the professional sports arena, and these women are warriors. Serena made a dig at Justine. Justine's made digs at Serena. So what? Deal with it.

Serena is not out of shape. That should not even be an argument. You think you can play as well as she does, and not be fit? As my mother would say, "Child, please!." Serena's body looks amazing as usual and she is of African-descent, so I'm sorry if she's not going to have eastern European stats. She is who she is.

Serena's game only suffers because Serena is not there mentally. And I don't care what anyone says. She isn't there. Her mental ferocity has to match her legendary backhand. And right now, she's a physical lion and a mental kitten. Yes Justine is playing the best tennis of her life. Duh. She's rocking and she deserves her No. 1  ranking. But when Serena gets her mind right, it's all over for Justine, and we all know it.

Only Serena can stop Serena. She isn't the type of player who can be stumped by a lesser opponent on their best day. That's her sister Venus. When Serena is mentally fit, Serena is unstoppable. She's physically fit, but not mentally. Yet the year is about over and the Year-End Championships in Madrid will be all the rage for tennis fans everywhere, who are hoping to see Serena's return to brilliance. I for one will be watching, and like everyone else I can't wait for another post-match news conference.

Is serena that good? is she being let down by her mental frailties? Post your comment or write an article for Sportingo