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Serena Williams, left, and Angelique Kerber after the match. (Toby Melville / Reuters)
WIMBLEDON, England – Prior to Saturday, Serena Williams spoke to the crowd after playing in a Grand Slam final 29 times in her career – 23 times as a winner, six times vice-champion. She was therefore expert in this formality since she had proved that she was an expert in tennis during her remarkable career.
Saturday at the All England Club, however, his voice trembled with emotion after his pursuit of a 24 th ] The Grand Slam title and the eighth Wimbledon championship were denied , 6-3, 6-3, by the precision of the German Angelique Kerber
"To all the moms, I was playing for you today and I have tried," said Williams, 36, just 10 months after a difficult delivery that was followed by serious medical complications. "Angelique played very well."
[ Sally Jenkins: Williams Has Her Biggest and Hardest Won Title: Women's Champion]
Williams had said at the start of Wimbledon that his return to the competition more than just adding Grand Slam titles. During her trip, she sought to talk to women from all walks of life about what is possible in the face of challenges and setbacks.
In this regard, Williams scored a consistent victory in reaching the Wimbledon Final for 10 times in his career – pushing himself to serve stronger, run faster and do all that was required to progress to during the two-week competition.
"I'd just like to say to all the moms, I've had such a long time she had a hard time coming back and it was really hard," explained Williams in her interview of #Mr. 39, post-match. "Honestly, I feel like I can do it, they can do it. I am just that person, this ship, who says: You can be what you want to be. If you want to go back to work … for me, after becoming a mom, I have the impression that there is no pressure to do it because the fact of doing so is very important. having a child is a full time job. "
[Wimbledon women’s finalists relive a singular ceremony, step by step]
It's a message that resonates with women In innumerable arenas, not just sport.
But Williams' physical achievements – reach the Wimbledon final in his fourth tournament back after a vacation from 13 months maternity – are particularly appreciated by women who know the sacrifice required for
Few people have tried to do both at once
Kim Clijsters, 2005 US Open champion, is retired from retirement for two-time motherhood, 2009 and 2010. Clijsters was younger (26 and 27) than Williams is now, and she took a longer break.
Victoria Azarenka, 28, a Former No. 1 Williams, goes up the standings with a 19 -month-old son in tow. Forgotten in the second round of the Wimbledon singles event, Azarenka will compete in the mixed doubles title, with Jamie Murray, of Scotland, Sunday
"C & Is a great statement [Williams] it's giving all the moms you can get back to [being] even an elite athlete, "said former pro Mary Joe Fernandez, a mother of two who coached Serena and her sister Venus in the Fed Cup competition and now serves as an ESPN badyst. "When I retired, it did not even cross my mind – the opportunity to come back in. How will I get back in shape? Recover that desire? Come back into shape? Recover this motivation? "I had the impression of not having slept for a year with the first baby.How do you juggle with all this – go practice, train yourself physically and take care of your child? Serena shows that you can do it. "
[Djokovic beats Nadal to reach final, where shadow of long semifinals will linger]
When she was last seen at Wimbledon before that fortnight, in the 2016 final, Williams won her seventh title by defeating Kerber, 7-5, 6- 3
Williams faced Kerber again in the final. The German, now 30-year-old Grand Slam champion twice, would be an ideal reference to find out where Williams came in the last four months and until she had to go for recover his form that beat the world.
a crowd of 14,900 spectators, including golfer Tiger Woods, Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton and, looking from the front row of the Royal Box, the Duchess of Cambridge (the former Kate Middleton) and the Duchess of Susbad (the former Meghan Markle), a dear friend of Williams
The women's final was delayed about two hours for the world number one Rafael Nadal and the former number 1 Novak Djokovic can complete their semifinal, stopped the day before at 23h. in accordance with the curfew of the tournament. Subsequently, no woman quibbled over the late start, pointing out that the tournament officials had no other option and insisting that it had not affected them.
Kerber broke Williams' serve to open the match. The German strategy quickly became clear: move Williams from one side to the other, coaxing her with shots on goal and putting her on the wrong foot when she could.
Strong, fit and determined, Kerber was not shaken by Williams' mighty backlashes. She absorbed the power and returned the bullets in kind. And although she hit far fewer winners than Williams (11-23), Kerber was accurate, making only five straight fouls in the 110 match.
She also believed in her corner, as the # 39, one of five women to beat Williams in a Grand Slam final before Saturday. And she only needed 65 minutes to beat her one more time.
Tracy Austin, triple Grand Slam champion: "I think it was too far, too early … Serena played today against an opponent who was able to maintain an incredible level. Sometimes we expect a lot from Serena because she's delivered so much in the past. "
Based on Williams' level after only four tournaments, Austin said she had no doubts that she would win the 24th Grand Slam that would tie Margaret The record of the court – and maybe a 25th or more.
Less than an hour after his defeat, Williams had focused his attention on this point, explaining: "I'm already deciphering what I need to improve, what I have to do, what I did wrong why I was wrong, how can I do better – all this madness going on in my mind. "
– Liz Clarke
Big Names in the Grandstands
In addition to the Duchesses of Cambridge and Susbad, Serena Williams brought out a number of other big names. racing driver Lewis Hamilton, Vogue editor Anna Wintour and television producer Shonda Rhimes
The Royals are here
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Meghan, Duchess of Susbad, are present to attend the final The Duchess of Susbad and Serena Williams are close friends, Meghan came to Wimbledon in 2016 to support Williams, and Williams attended the Duchess's wedding to Prince Harry in May
The Duchess of Cambridge, labeled by a tennis enthusiast, became the patron of Wimbledon in December 2016, relieving Queen Elizabeth II of
Serena arrives
Before her match against Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams is preparing for the last The match will begin after the conclusion of the second men's final match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal
Wimbledon Women's Single Final
Who: Serena Williams will face Angelique Kerber, seeded number 11, with Williams in her pursuit of Margaret Court's record of 24 major career titles. Williams, seven-time winner at Wimbledon, would equal Court's record if she could dominate Kerber in a rematch of the 2016 Wimbledon final. (She's 23-6 in the Grand Slam final.) Kerber, 30, old No. 1 worldwide, won two Grand Slam titles in 2016.
Williams, 36, won her last Grand Slam title in the 2017 Australian Open for about eight weeks of pregnancy. She missed the next four majors, came back to the French Open this spring, but had to abandon this event due to a pectoral injury before a round match of 16 scheduled. It was his first withdrawal from the singles competition at a major tournament.
When: The women's final was scheduled for Saturday at 9am, but this time could be postponed at the end of the second men's semifinal. This match of Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal, which Djokovic leads two sets to one, will resume at 8 am, facing South African Kevin Anderson in the men's final on Sunday. Saturday's women's final will start after the end of the men's match
[Exceeding even her own expectations, Serena Williams rolls into Wimbledon final]
How to watch on TV: ESPN will broadcast the women's final. Chris Fowler will have the play-by-play, and Chris Evert will be the badyst. The match is also scheduled to resume on ABC at 15 hours. Eastern, and on ESPNEWS at 12:30 Sunday
How to stream: You can watch the cover of the women's final on The Wimbledon Channel or on the WatchESPN app.
Wimbledon Indices: Williams plays his 18th main match at Wimbledon, and has now reached an amazing 10 finals. She won the women's singles titles in 2015 and 2016 – her previous two participations – and has now won 20 straight matches, matching the longest stretch of her career. This last period took place from 2002 to 2004, when Williams won consecutive titles before losing to the finals in 2004. Kerber, from Germany, is at his 11th edition of Wimbledon, but has advanced to the semi-finals for the third time this year. Like Williams, she lost only one set in this year's tournament
The 2016 Final: Williams found the story during his last encounter with Kerber at Wimbledon , equaling the record of 22 Grand Slam titles of Steffi Graf 7-5, 6-3 win. Chuck Post Culpepper chronicled his dominance in this match:
Through a high-quality match with lively rallies that drew gasps from the audience, his service continued to wear her on the rocks. She faced only one break point – the only one she faced in the last three rounds – in the seventh game of the second set. She eliminated him with a 117 mph ace at the doubles line. She decimated 13 aces at Kerber's zero. The unreturned services were 27 to 12.
"I'm trying everything," Kerber said. .
[In the final game, Williams] placed and blew first three services – 94 mph, 114, 101 – on which the ball only ticked Kerber's racket. At age 40, she produced a volley of volley and a forehand volley (part of her 16-4 advantage in points) that dropped her into the grbad before joining Kerber in a long respectful hug.
Williams in the final of the 2016 Australian Open.
The screenplay: If the pursuit of a 24th Grand Slam title and the eighth Wimbledon crown is not enough not to Williams, there is also his difficult but remarkable return. there is a year. As Liz Clarke detailed of The Post this week, the past year included "a recurrence of blood clots threatening her emergency Caesarean section", an extended bed rest during which she could barely walk , then a return to the competition.
Due to her absence, she is now ranked 181st in the world, making her "the lowest ranked woman of the Open era to reach a semifinal at Wimbledon," according to the tournament. She did not receive any seed at the Open de France, which sparked a debate about how tournaments should handle maternity leave for the best players. Wimbledon awarded Williams the 25th seed. The final will be just his 14th game of 2018.
– Kendra Andrews
Read more The Post's Wimbledon Coverage:
There is also the grace of the Wimbledon court. Nadal, del Potro and Federer prove it
Kevin Anderson places John Isner in the grueling semi-final of Wimbledon
A Wimbledon, a rediscovery and a new appreciation of his magic
[The walk to Centre Court: Wimbledon women’s finalists relive a singular ceremony, step by step]
[The walk to Centre Court: Wimbledon women’s finalists relive a singular ceremony, step by step]
[The walk to Centre Court: Wimbledon finalists relive a singular ceremony, step by step]
[The walk to Centre Court: Wimbledon finalists relive a singular ceremony, step by step]
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