She ended one of the most frustrating periods of her career on Saturday, when she equalled Steffi Graf’s Open era record of 22 Grand Slam titles with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon final.
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“After suffering a dip in form earlier this year, Williams” coach Patrick Mouratoglou told her she was back to her best at the French Open and the message finally sunk in at Wimbledon. ‘I’m not relieved to have the 22nd, I’m relieved to have found back Serena – said Mouratoglou – There was clearly something missing in the last eight months, and the thing that was missing was just Serena.
“Even in putting your career first you have to be really selfish and greedy, it is what it is, I come first and that’s what needs to be done in order for me to be the best”. “This makes it a little bit better, that I know that she won the match, not that I lost the match, because she played very well”. She faced just one break point – at 3-all in the second set, representing Kerber’s only real opening – and shut the door emphatically with aces at 117 miles per hour and 124 miles per hour.
Williams’ reverse to Roberta Vinci in NY shook her to such an extent that, according to the Frenchman, she has only now truly steadied. “I think sometime after the French Open, we were talking and strategizing”. “And I was like, ‘What does that mean?’ He just said that he felt I was different when I sent that text”.
Interestingly, Williams disagreed with Mouratoglou.
Kerber, a German who knows Graf well, defeated Venus in the semifinals and hadn’t dropped a set until Saturday.
Oh yeah – and that afternoon, Williams and her sister Venus went on to win their sixth doubles at Wimbledon, and their 14th Grand Slam doubles titles overall.
“She brought the energy from the singles on to the doubles court”.
The first point of the women’s finale whetted the appetite: After a lengthy exchange, Kerber struck a winning forehand.
Having coped with the heavy artillery heading her way, Kerber’s downfall was self-inflicted as two poor errors opened the door for Williams to take the opener.
Staggeringly, Williams is nine-tenths of the way to fulfilling her side of the bargain.
“It wasn’t one conversation”, Williams said. At 5-5, 15-30, two unreturnable Williams serves surfaced.
Kerber reached the final without conceding a set and scuppered hopes of a first all-Williams grand slam final since 2009 when beating Venus in the semis.
The fourth seed won what was arguably the point of the contest in the fourth game of the second when she crushed a backhand from well outside the doubles alley down the line. “I wanted to hit an ace!”
Serena looked like her old dominant self. “You really deserve it, you are a great champion, a great person”, Kerber said.
I was also glad to see Roger Federer in the semis.
“This ability to win the big matches, that’s what champions are made for and she showed that she was back”.
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An intense scrap developed from then on as Williams attacked incessantly and Kerber bravely traded blows.
