Serena Williams believes her performances at the 2016 Australian Open have been her best at majors in the past year as she prepares for Saturday night's final.
Williams has blasted her way into the decider in Melbourne, losing just 26 games to set up a meeting with Angelique Kerber.
"I would say this is probably the best slam I've played in a year, and I've won a lot in a year. Again, I haven't won this one," Williams said Friday. "But even if I don't win, I really can take away that I've been really consistent, and I want to continue that."
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The World No. 1 came close to completing the grand slam in 2015, only to fall in the semifinals at the U.S. Open. Kerber is eager to try to match Serena Williams' aggression when the pair meet in what will be Kerber's maiden grand slam decider.
The German seventh seed has lost five of her six meetings with Williams, with her only victory coming in Cincinnati in 2012.
But the left-hander is desperate to attack Williams, who hit 18 first-set winners in a scintillating victory over Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals.
"Against Serena you never know how she's serving. She's serving unbelievably good," Kerber said Friday. "She's returning good. I think the first few balls, they are really decisive in the match. I must be there from the first point and playing very deep. When I'm too short, she's just going to go for it. She is making winner, winner and winner.
"I saw it against (Radwanska). I must be ready to play my game and also be aggressive like she is."
While Kerber is heading into her maiden grand slam final, Williams is preparing for her 26th. But the 34-year-old said the excitement levels were still high heading into the decider.
"It hasn't been routine because every match for me is hard, and every match is not easy," Williams said. "So I always get really excited."
Williams has taken plenty from her experience at Flushing Meadows last year, when she was expected to complete the grand slam before a shocking loss to Roberta Vinci in the last four.
If she can win Saturday, Williams will join German Steffi Graf on 22 grand slam titles — second only to Margaret Court (24).
"Everyone has expectations. I'm the favorite. I was the favorite in New York. I feel like I could have done better in New York," she said. "But that was a learning experience. So I'm going to hopefully take that to the court for not only this tournament but for the rest of these slams."
Williams and Kerber have tried to play down expectations heading into Saturday's decider and Kerber said there was more pressure on Williams.
"Nothing to lose means I can go out there and try to play like I'm playing, without pressure, without nothing," she said. "I think when you ask a lot of people, I think most will say, 'OK, Serena will win'. But this is the challenge I can take.
"I go out there, I don't have anything to lose. I don't have so much pressure like she has. This is what I mean that I have nothing to lose. I know I can lose the match. That's why I'm going out there to try to win the match."