Williams ready to go up a level

2007 Australian Open Champions Men’s Singles – Roger Federer (1), Switzerland Women’s Singles – Serena Williams, United States Men’s Doubles – Bob and Mike Bryan (1), United States Women’s Doubles – Cara Black, Zimbabwe, and Liezel Huber (3), South Africa Mixed Doubles – Daniel Nestor, Canada, and Elena Likhovtseva, Russia Boy’s Singles – Brydan Klein, Australia Girl’s Singles – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (1), Russia Boy’s Doubles – Graeme Dyce, Britain, and Harri Heliovaara, Finland Girl’s Doubles – Evgeniya Rodina and Arina Rodionova, Russia Men’s Wheelchair Singles – Shingo Kuneida (2), Japan Women’s Wheelchair Singles – Esther Vergeer (1), Holland Men’s Wheelchair Doubles – Robin Ammerlaan, Holland, and Shingo Kunieda, Japan Women’s Wheelchair Doubles – Jiske Griffioen and Esther Vergeer, Holland.

MELBOURNE – Newly crowned Australian Open champion Serena Williams warns she is ready to take her game to a new level and wants the world number one spot after demolishing current holder Maria Sharapova. In an ominous message to rivals on the women’s tour, Williams said she was capable of improving on the awesome performance that left Sharapova on the wrong end of a 6-1, 6-2 battering in the final here Saturday.The 25-year-old American was already eyeing the French Open, just hours after winning her third Australian title to take her Grand Slam singles titles to eight.”I’m ready for the clay courts,” she said.”I want to go home, I saw some things here I want to work on, to share with my dad.”I want ameliorate it, ameliorate my game, take it to a new level.I’m ready to do that now, ready to take my game to a new level.”Federer on track to be best player MELBOURNE – Roger Federer is a genius who is on track to be the greatest player of all time, tennis legend Rod Laver believes.The Swiss star has been the undisputed world number one for three years and Laver, the only player to win the Grand Slam of the four majors twice, in 1962 and 1969, sees no rivals to challenge him.”Roger Federer is a genius but he is only in the middle of his career.He’s got all the shots and if he keeps going the way he is, then he will be the best player ever,” Laver told The Age newspaper yesterday.Sharapova moves on to Tokyo MELBOURNE – It’s not how Maria Sharapova wanted to celebrate her elevation to No.1 in the rankings: sitting on a plane to Tokyo yesterday after being on the receiving end of one of the most lopsided results in a Grand Slam final.The Sharapova that looked so dominating while winning last year’s US Open in straight sets over Justine Henin-Hardenne had no answers Saturday against a resurgent Serena Williams in the Australian Open, losing 6-1, 6-2 in just over an hour.”I was trying to find a way to get in the rallies, trying somehow to find a way to get an opening, through a door,” said Sharapova.Reports by Nampa-AP and AFPIn an ominous message to rivals on the women’s tour, Williams said she was capable of improving on the awesome performance that left Sharapova on the wrong end of a 6-1, 6-2 battering in the final here Saturday.The 25-year-old American was already eyeing the French Open, just hours after winning her third Australian title to take her Grand Slam singles titles to eight.”I’m ready for the clay courts,” she said.”I want to go home, I saw some things here I want to work on, to share with my dad.”I want ameliorate it, ameliorate my game, take it to a new level.I’m ready to do that now, ready to take my game to a new level.”Federer on track to be best player MELBOURNE – Roger Federer is a genius who is on track to be the greatest player of all time, tennis legend Rod Laver believes.The Swiss star has been the undisputed world number one for three years and Laver, the only player to win the Grand Slam of the four majors twice, in 1962 and 1969, sees no rivals to challenge him.”Roger Federer is a genius but he is only in the middle of his career.He’s got all the shots and if he keeps going the way he is, then he will be the best player ever,” Laver told The Age newspaper yesterday.Sharapova moves on to Tokyo MELBOURNE – It’s not how Maria Sharapova wanted to celebrate her elevation to No.1 in the rankings: sitting on a plane to Tokyo yesterday after being on the receiving end of one of the most lopsided results in a Grand Slam final.The Sharapova that looked so dominating while winning last year’s US Open in straight sets over Justine Henin-Hardenne had no answers Saturday against a resurgent Serena Williams in the Australian Open, losing 6-1, 6-2 in just over an hour.”I was trying to find a way to get in the rallies, trying somehow to find a way to get an opening, through a door,” said Sharapova.Reports by Nampa-AP and AFP