But this time Williams would not be denied.
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Williams beat Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3 in Saturday’s Wimbledon final, her 22nd major title, tied with Steffi Graf for most in the Open Era.
The sisters last lost a doubles final in 1999 in San Diego.
Williams, a great mover like Kerber, took a slight tumble at 4-4 but was unhurt. “I’ve definitely had some sleepless nights, if I’m just honest, with a lot of stuff. Grand. Slam. Titles” she captioned the hilarious snap, which shows her lying on the ground, undoubtedly exhausted… and perhaps in a little bit of shock after accomplishing what she did.
“This is how Serena is playing”, Kerber said.
But the relentless tennis calendar marches on, the Olympics is less than a month away, and Williams can only keep going, for now, without letting her thoughts carry too far into the future.
“I’ve just felt a lot of pressure, I guess”.
“I don’t think it made us nervous”. Until playing at the French Open in May, they hadn’t even entered a doubles draw at any major tournament since 2014. When she is threatened on her serve she hits aces, and when she gets the break points she plays the best tennis of her life and that’s what she did today. Margaret Court holds the overall record with 24 singles titles. “Oh God, no”, Willams said.
“Of course I went out there today to win the match”.
Women’s tennis just might have a new “must-watch” rivalry. “I mean, maybe I’m wrong, but that’s what I feel”.
The top-seeded pair of Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert also won the Wimbledon men’s doubles championship by beating Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-3.
But the far more significant reward is the knowledge she has reestablished her supremacy at a time when doubters were beginning to question the 34-year-old’s hunger after consecutive Slam final defeats this year. I definitely don’t remember where 12 was. Gets really blurry after that. At some point over those four or five days, towards the end he said I had sent him a text, and in that text he said he recognised I was different.
Kerber brought up her first break point at 3-3 in the second, but the World No. 1 responded in emphatic fashion. It was her first and only break point of the match but Serena slammed the door shut with an ace. That is something that I think is of great concern because it will be devastating.
“I think that’s his ritual”. “After two weeks, he looks like insane”.
Serena Williams now has an opportunity to become the all-time Open-era Grand Slam Champion in front of a home crowd at this year’s US Open in September.
Williams and her older sister, Venus, also won the Wimbledon women’s doubles crown on Saturday, which carries a 350,000-pound total prize.
“One thing I learned about past year is to enjoy the moment”, said Williams.
Kerber, a German who knows Graf well, defeated Venus in the semifinals and hadn’t dropped a set on her way to the final.
With the Williams name on both champions’ boards again, it was another day to savour for the family.
“It’s a privilege, it’s an honour”, said Venus.
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And there may be more Wimbledon successes to come in the future, with neither sister giving any indication they are thinking of retirement.
