Serena Williams vs Dinara Safina Berlin 2008 Highlights

Highlights of the quarterfinal match

[@tranquilizer3060]

safina played so well during 2008-2009 clay seasons but fell apart in rg finals where it mattered most

[@chrisarmelseyibayebek4977]

Serena's reaction at the net was cute knowing it was a hard match and probably a frustrating loss...She had her bad days but shes far from being a sore loser like haters think

[@pompolini3607]

Yeah she fakes niceness at the net and then in locker room or at intervievs she bullies her opponents

[@chrisarmelseyibayebek4977]

@@pompolini3607 Okay...

[@arnitaomeara7658]

@@pompolini3607 if you say so because you know it ALL

[@pompolini3607]

@@arnitaomeara7658 many her opponents say it

[@jwashington4863]

@@pompolini3607 im sorry but you have her mistaken for Dopepova

[@makamurphy]

This was a good match, I miss watch Saf play... but am a serena fan.. great match!

[@Tomule2]

It really was incredible ... still remember that match, still fan of Safina, miss her and her fighting spirit

[@renatignatev2632]

When WTA was a legend

[@peerlessvinh]

Safina’s backhand is amazing in this match

[@erianmaxcic6052]

Seeing this match for the first time. Wow, that 3st set was a huge hitting from both. Dinara was peaking here.

[@aaronwilkins1843]

Whaaaat a third set. Thanks for this

[@themsharapova8]

You're welcome 🥰

[@adamlarsson3828]

i remember this match really well. essentially Serena’s forehand (more winners, winning shots) against Safina’s backhand (- more backhand winners). Safina kept hammering at crosscourt at Serena’s backhand to soften /open the point. Safina was serving out of the box on that day - way, way better than normal. far more service winners and she less erratic with the toss and extension. she also defended extremely well, from the diagonals and when taken out of the sidelines. i don’t think that Serena did anything ‘wrong’, she just got a little inhibited at times - but her application was never the same at tour events cf. to the slams, back then.

[@POObumpoopo]

@@adamlarsson3828 Yep, Safina's serve was really working for once and she grew confident because of it. Even in the slam finals she made her serve went AWOL, and especially the Olympic final this same year (2008), she hit about 20+ DFs.

[@adamlarsson3828]

in the first two slam finals (versus Ivanović and Serena), i felt that Safina was defeated by players that were simply more aggressive. Serena, in particular, was playing first strike and absolutely controlling play through the centre of the court, from the very beginning. Safina said this herself: “But I was not nervous, not even close like before the French Open final. .... today I wouldn't say that I was negative on the court, nothing. I was trying to stay positive and I was trying to do something. Just didn't had enough time to do it. /It was too fast, you know, everything/. ... .... she was much more aggressive and she just was taking time out of me, so I didn't have that much time to put back myself onto the court. She didn't even let me to come into the match.” .... she puts pressure, you know, because she's aggressive. It's not that you doubt in myself. She pushes you to go a little bit for more because you don't want to give her any easy ball because you know that she will go for it. Either she makes it or misses, but most of the time she makes it. It's just that she puts pressure, that's all.” _________________________ any player will double-fault in a match like that because you HAVE go to the absolute max. on your serve. Serena hits forehand winners off 105 mph +*first serves, using a complete takeback. she is (and was) by far the most aggressive returner in women’s tennis. all the players know this. and that places enormous pressure upon /anyone’s serve. the technical flaws become exposed - and quickly. in this situation, players like Safina attempt to do more than than there serve will normally allow. _________________ however, in the 2008 Olympic final i felt that Safina was oddly inhibited playing against Dementieva - a player with less all-around ability than her.

[@SSS-tg1wb]

The quality is damn fine. You're god

[@1deonlucas9]

I don't ever remember Safina beating either Williams.. wow. Great match from her. The best I've seen her play!

[@SSS-tg1wb]

No she also beat Venus in Rome

[@ИгрыРазума-ь2н]

Good match. Exciting... That's the second match I've seen, when it's seems almost Safina's defeat, but at the end she wins. The same was in game with Sharapova..

[@chapeltibet4551]

What a match!

[@DHYelytseerf]

08:55

[@jaykeyz9094]

" I think if she can win without too much effort, she will!" I'm thinking, has anyone in the history of tennis ever won more matches without having to move her feet..

[@mikanikolic2322]

Yes Pliskova 🤣

[@JCole-fg3rr]

It’s amazing how these players can peak against Serena, playing tennis they could never play against anyone, Serena play less than 50%, still keep these matches close, and have so many opportunities to win the match.

[@ca6660]

she wasn't really peaking just against Serena though, was she. She beat Henin in the previous round, who then was ranked #1, and then made the final of the French Open a few weeks later beating the likes of world no. 1 Sharapova, Dementieva and Kuznetsova. She then made two further Slam finals in 2009. So she didn't really peak *just* against Serena.

[@JCole-fg3rr]

@@ca6660 yeah she actually was. Safina was clocking backhands left and right. I’m sorry, beating Justine, even at #1, was never more of an accomplishment than beating Serena. If we’re being honest, it doesn’t take your absolute best tennis to beat any of those players. Serena is just on another level.

[@nunolaranjo2786]

@@dosensadif6585 I think J. Cole was talking in general, not in this case in particular. It's a fact that this was THE TOURNMENT for Safina, but she still took several 3-set-matches to take the trofey. If you compare this with tournments were Serena was at her peak, like 2012 Olympics, or 2010 Wimbledon, when she colected several set 6-1 or 6-2 in less than one hour matches, you can see what "a peak" is. Anyway, the thing about Serena is not just her peak, is the capacity of playing at her peak orclose to it for years in a row. I watched this tournment, and for me and for sure for Justine, Serena and the other players, no one was expecting this from Safina. In my opinion, Justine and Serena were beaten by the surprise, not by the playing itself. Serena had beaten Safina at RG the previous year (so, on clay), and never lost to Safina again, not even a set, and the closest Safina was from winning a set was 4-6 (with a 0-6 first set less than a year later at the AO).

[@nunolaranjo2786]

​@@dosensadif6585 there are only 2 years when you can say that about Seren: 2006 and 2011. When else, she has won tournments and even GS (or went to the finals). I remind you that in 2008 Serena had won Miami (defeating Justine and Kuznetsova), and went to 2 GS finals, winning the USO and becoming #1 (again) after it. Serena was ALWAYS a threat (except for those 2 years). Plus, on clay Serena is not bad, is less great. Anything else is pure fantasy from Serena haters. ;) :D

[@JCole-fg3rr]

@@nunolaranjo2786 it was 6-3 actually

[@normanpeters6465]

Serena upset me in this match. She stopped playing in the second set. 🤷🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️

[@kaaunhall7781]

Serena play to much. I think sometimes she wants to create drama for the crowd.... I was waiting for the come back