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WWhen Sabine Lisicki lost the final at Wimbledon against Marion Bartoli in 2013, she could not control the flow of tears that showed her desolation. In 41 days, Bartoli had retired, just 28, after losing to Simona Halep in Cincinnati, unable to bear the pain of a long career, becoming the first Wimbledon champion not to defend her title since winning from 1969, Ann Jones.
Opponents of the last six years have been dealing with the consequences of their own ways. Bartoli envisioned a comeback, thought better and found a house in the comment box, while Lisicki, the fastest server in the game between 2014 and 2016 at 130 mph, never found the magic again. At the Australian Open this year and only 29 years old, she came out in the first round of qualifying, for the third time on a spin-off.
It's a deceptively difficult sport, as Saturday's finalists know too well. Halep began to flourish in the years following his defeat against Bartoli, to the point of winning the French Open last year and reigning as world No. 1. The story of Williams is known to all, a story of alternating glory and struggle that seems to still have at least one chapter or two.
What they both share is a persistent struggle with their emotions. Until Halep calmed down in the last two years, she was one of the most unstable competitors in the WTA Tour. Williams, she admitted Thursday after her best performance of the tournament – a Barbora Strycova demolition in 59 minutes – can not be sure on a day-to-day basis of how she will handle the pressures and expectations of her call even if his consensus is immense. the best player of his time.
In private, she would agree with that. Good manners prevent him from saying it in public – and that brings him his own baggage. When Williams was on hand to record a schedule in the final stages of the 2015 US Open, her emotions went wild and she collapsed into a tear cloud similar to the one surrounding Lisicki, losing in half -final against the Italian double. Artist Roberta Vinci.
And last September, the red haze fell again on her furious and incredulous eyes as she was offended by the perceived injustice that the referee, Carlos Ramos, had presumed and lost in the most theatrical release. that is. This week, in an article in Harper's Bazaar, she contacted her conqueror of Flushing Meadows, Naomi Osaka, in a resumption of her lawsuit against Ramos, accusing the media of this incident.
If she wins again, she is now sent back to another statistical paradise: Saturday's win would give Williams her eighth singles title at Wimbledon and her 24th major, tied with Australia's Margaret Court for the most slams from the history of sport. It is an exploit. Still, Williams tries again to downplay its importance, as it did before its match against Vinci four years ago.
It alternates between the management of responsibilities and rewards of greatness and the consumption of these. She should, however, be comforted by the evidence of her progress towards the finals, which featured only one flash, when she fell over the line in three sets against Alison Riske. His return to form in the semifinal against Strycova was amazing.
This could become as obvious a factor as the service – and Serena, as might be expected, has a considerable advantage here. Nobody in the draw has touched more than his 45 aces, but, for a person who regains power at about 120 mph, it has recorded surprisingly few double faults: 11, in fact, which represents a risk ratio / yield of four. to one.
Halep, however, is tied for 26 on the list with a group of defeats, including Coco Gauff, who came out in the fourth round, and Belinda Bencic, a lap earlier. But his risk-reward performance is much worse than Williams': nine aces, 12 double faults.
The Romanian is not left out, racket in hand, of course, but his fastest service of the fortnight is 110 mph – 12 miles per hour less than the thriving deliveries of his opponent .
Once this ball is in play, the return is vital and, if it wants to be of any quality on its return to the American, Halep must be brave, taking the climb from time to time, or making sure deliver a rather heavy and precise strike. deep shot to keep the exchange alive. This is only when parity is possible.
She is 15th in the tournament standings for her return with 83%, and is in good health. And here's the clash of numbers: Williams ranks 66th with 283 out of 383, or 74%. It's exactly one hundred balls that she was not able to put back into play at the reception and Halep will certainly have taken into account.
After all this, it will be a surprise – not to the extent of his defeat by Vinci in New York – if Williams does not stand in the middle of the center court as queen of Wimbledon, recently crowned crown, and the match itself .
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