Williams’ 6-0, 6-3 rout of Dinara Safina on Saturday earned her a 10th Grand Slam title, a fourth Australian title — coming each odd-numbered year since 2003 — and the No. 1-ranking.
“I actually forgot until the end when I was saying hi to my box. They’re like, ’Hey, you’re No. 1.’ I was like, ’Oh, yeah,”’ she said.
Not that a number means everything.
“I always believe I’m the best, whether I’m No. 1 or 100,” she said. “Just having that extra bonus is pretty cool.”
Williams set aside a stylish black top to wear for the big occasion this time. In between the match, doping tests and media commitments, she changed into it.
“I always bring an outfit for the championships,” she said. “I always try to think positive, and I think it helps me be able to win.”
Williams was so dominant that Safina, a 22-year-old Russian playing in her second major final, didn’t feel worthy of being on the same court.
“It was first time for me to play not only for the Grand Slam, but also for No. 1 spot,” said Safina, the 2008 French Open runner-up. “I never been through this situation, and she was already.
“Serena was too good ... I was just a ballboy on the court today,” added Safina, apologizing to the Rod Laver Arena crowd after the 59-minute match.
After Melbourne’s hottest three-day heat wave on record, conditions were a relatively mild 79 degrees for the tournament’s first women’s final at night.
Safina had been hoping to emulate two feats her brother, Marat Safin, achieved. He won the 2005 Australian Open — the day after Serena won her second title here — and held the No. 1 ranking.
“She played exactly the way she had to play and she was much more aggressive and she just was taking time out of me,” Safina said.
“She didn’t give me a chance.”
Williams’ win at the U.S. Open in September gave her the No. 1 ranking for the following four weeks, her first stint at the top since a 57-week stretch from July 2002.
She started this year at No. 2 and slowly worked her way through the tournament. She was struggling with her serve at times and had to fend off Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals when the Russian was serving for the match.
Player Ratings: Numancia 0-2 Real Madrid
Serena slams Safina for Australian Open title
Valencia Always Go Out To Win - Unai Emery
Serena slams Safina for Australian Open title
