Serena praises rival Stosur ahead of crucial clash

Sydney, Jun 2 (ANI): World No.1 Serena Williams, who will be facing Samantha Stosur in tonight's French Open quarterfinal, has praised her Australian rival.

"She's amazing. She's fast, strong and has a great serve. You know, I don't know if she has a real weakness," Serena said about Stosur.

"Sam is actually a wonderful claycourt player. She's someone you can't overlook. She has a good chance to go all the way. She plays a real all-around game, so I think that's what makes her like a real modern, really good player," Williams told reporters at Roland Garros.

Williams assessment of Stosur before their clash at the French Open proves that the giant strides made by the 26-year-old Queenslander since she was grounded by a debilitating illness that had her career on life support just two years ago.

"After everything I went through being sick, just being out here again is fantastic and I really think that kind of appreciation for the opportunity to play again is part of the reason why I'm going OK," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Stosur, as saying.

"I was pretty sick for a while there. There was obviously a stage when playing tennis again wasn't even on my mind. I definitely wasn't thinking about winning tournaments.

All I wanted to do was get enough energy to get out of my apartment but I had to keep telling myself I would make it back.

I don't know if I even really believed it but it was probably important that I stayed positive. It's a great life, I feel pretty lucky, " she said. (ANI)