By Chris Oddo | Saturday July 14, 2018
A flawless Angelique Kerber rolled past Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final to claim her third major title.
Photo Source: Clive Brunskill/Getty
Wimbledon, England—Angelique Kerber ended Serena Williams’ quest to tie Margaret Court on the all-time Grand Slam titles list and instead made some history of her own on Saturday at Wimbledon. The unflinching German played flawlessly from start to finish beneath sunny skies on Centre Court to end Williams’ inspiring run with a 6-3, 6-3 victory that makes her just the fourth active player to win more than two major titles, and the second player to defeat Williams in more than one major final.
It was done and dusted in 65 minutes, long before early evening shadows could make their way from the stands to Centre Court's iconic grass.
“It’s just a dream come true,” said an emotional Kerber after clinching match point. “I knew that I had to play my best tennis against a champion like Serena.”
Kerber was in the zone from the start, and she never wavered, even when Williams turned up the heat, which she did when she won three straight games early in the first set after falling behind 2-0, and briefly in set two, albeit only for spurts.
On this day Kerber had an answer for everything Williams tossed her way. Improving to 3-1 lifetime in major finals, the 30-year-old credited the wisdom of age and her lengthy list of formative experiences for her success.
"I played the final here once already, so I knew what to expect," said Kerber, referring to her straight sets loss to Williams in the 2016 final. "I think I had so many experiences over the years. I know the feeling of going out there in the semifinals, playing the finals. I think that helps me also to be a little bit relaxed today, going out there, focusing on my match, not thinking that it's the final, that it's Wimbledon."
Williams, a veteran of 30 major finals and 23 major titles, gave Kerber all the credit.
"She played unbelievable today," she told reporters in an upbeat press conference after the final. "I just feel like she just did a lot of different shots today. It wasn't just one shot. It was lots and lots and lots of different shots. I just know going next time, I'll just be ready for that."
The German produced her trademark wall of defense and committed just five unforced errors against 11 winners. She also had a particularly prescient read on the American’s vaunted serve all day.
Williams made 75 percent of her first serves, but Kerber countered by putting 80 percent of returns in play and converting four of seven break points.
Williams, who was bidding to pass the legendary Steffi Graf and tie Roger Federer on Wimbledon's all-time singles titles list, hit 23 winners against 24 unforced errors and was never really able to find her range on Saturday. When she did, Kerber was there to run down every ball and force her to hit another, which forced the cracks in Williams' armor to expand.
Despite the disappointing loss, Williams continued to stress that her comeback is a process, and that her priority is with her daughter Olympia, who was born less than a year ago. Playing in just her fourth tournament since giving birth, Williams showed signs of her old self at Wimbledon. She cracked 48 aces over the course of the fortnight, and led all players in percentage of first-serve points won. But Kerber, with her fast footwork and unerring consistency, presented problems that her first six opponents could not.
Kerber was broken just once and only faced one break point on the day. She becomes the first German player to win Wimbledon since Graf claimed her seventh title at SW19 in 1996.
After the final, Kerber reminisced about watching Graf win Wimbledon when she was just a child.
"I remember when I was watching her, that everybody was playing in white on the grass court," she said. "Then I came here for the first time for playing juniors. I was feeling just from the first point so good on grass, playing on grass."
She added: "I think Wimbledon is something special. I think it's traditional. Winning here, it's forever."
If Kerber's taste of Wimbledon infamy was sweet, Williams had an altogether different experience on Saturday. Close to tears, she offered the public a glimpse inside her psyche during an emotional post-match speech.
“I’m literally just getting started,” she said hopefully, her voice quivering.
If she is indeed just starting, Williams may need to take cues from a few former champions. Williams was bidding to become the fourth mother to win a major title, which would have allowed her to join Margaret Court, Yvonne Goolagong and Kim Clijsters.
She may yet join them, and that triumph could come as soon as this year's U.S. Open, where Williams is a six-tme champion. But chasing down history and rewriting the record books might be a more complicated endeavor than it has been in the past for Williams. The joys of motherhood have opened themselves up to her, and the perils of age are closing in. At 36 years and 291 days old, she would have broken her own record and become the oldest player to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era for a third time.
"They've changed a lot," she said of her shifting priorities. "Like my priority is my baby, you know. Just being with her, doing things with her, spending time with her. That's totally my priority."