Did Serena Williams save her best for last? She did in Saturday’s Wimbledon final against Angelique Kerber, winning the last eight points in a gripping contest that featured just two breaks of serve and a plethora of mesmerizing rallies. It was a straight-setter in name only; this 7-5, 6-3 result was the definition of quality over quantity.
Let’s say, for the sake of this discussion, that Serena doesn’t go on to pass Steffi Graf in Grand Slam singles titles. That No. 22 is where her amazing run ends. If that would indeed be the case, this championship victory would have to be considered one of her finest.
Only eight times has Serena been taken to a third set in a major final she won, and only two of those third sets were closer than 6-2. There was the 2003 Australian Open, where Serena beat her sister, Venus, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-4, and the 2012 U.S. Open, where Victoria Azarenka took Williams all the way to 7-5 in the third. Both of those matches are classics and evidence of Serena at her peak.
What Kerber did over two sets today brought out that same, lofty magic from Serena. The German’s forceful counterpunching made Serena treat every groundstroke like it was critical; her returning made the American place every serve precisely, and hit every one at its optimal speed. It was a masterclass—by both women.
