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When Serena Williams left Wimbledon 12 months ago as a finalist, her fourth tournament was back after her maternity leave while she was trying to match Margaret Court's all time record with 24 singles titles Slam, By the time she returned this year, she would have equaled Court's score if she had not been surpbaded to become the undisputed top player in the game.
But in the pursuit of history, just like in 2015, when she won two races as a calendar and Steffi Graf recorded an Open record with 22 major tournaments, she collapsed under the little challenge. Roberta Vinci in the semi-finals of the US Open. Flushing Meadows was also the scene of her infamous defeat in the final against Naomi Osaka last year, which left her reluctant to play for the rest of the season and, as she had admitted this week, she needed a therapy.
Williams returned to the Australian Open, where she beat her opponent today, Simona Halep, in a superb meeting in 16, before losing to the next round. At this point, not only did his mind hurt, but his body too. A knee injury contributed to her early defeat at Roland Garros last month and she arrived at Wimbledon severely short of matches, having played only 12 games all season.
But it was a restorative fortnight for the seven-time champion. She seemed calmer and happier as the rounds went by, no doubt her play honed by her double-act Murena with Andy Murray. The indication in her semifinal semifinal of Barbora Strycova of a semifinal is that she is no longer crippled, but inspired by what her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, calls the "ultimate" play of the story, the reason she came back to tennis so quickly work that puts her life in danger and what drives her to continue playing at 37 years old.
While Williams continues the story, Halep, who has fought his own emotions over the years, has his own motives. Since she won her first Grand Slam at Roland Garros last year, after three final defeats and her reputation as a big game goaltender, the Romanian counter-striker has lost the world's leading position. and has not exceeded the last eight places. This is a first final at Wimbledon for Halep but, given who she is facing over the net, she can play this match without pressure or expectation.
However, as Billie Jean King once said: "Pressure is a privilege, it only affects those who win it." This match will be played in Williams' mind as much as in the field.
The mental battle begins at: 14h French time
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