Great friends
As Grand Slam ladies’ trophy presentations are completed, a beaming Serena Williams typically means another major trophy for the star champion.
But as dozens of photographer lightbulbs flashed and thousands of appreciative fans cheered on at the 2016 Australian Open, Williams was instead smiling proudly for her friend Angelique Kerber.
“If I couldn’t win, I’m happy she did,” said the gracious Williams.
That even the fiercely-competitive American, now a winner of 23 Grand Slams from 29 finals contested, could appreciate Kerber’s achievement underlined the superb quality of the match they’d just completed.
Many had expected a quick capitulation from the final debutante. Kerber, after all, had until then managed only one win over Williams in six meetings.
And while the German had never been to a Grand Slam championship match, Serena first experienced that high-stakes occasion as she seized the 1999 US Open title as a teenager.
The first-timer was instead far from overwhelmed by either the occasion or her opponent, showcasing sharp and positive tennis from the outset. Nullifying Williams’ trademark power with stunning defence, superior serving and stellar court-craft, Kerber completed the career-defining victory 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in 128 minutes.
“To play against Serena, that was really an honour to play against her in a Grand Slam final. It was my first final. I was really looking forward (to it) - I was really excited,” said Kerber, the only woman to have defeated Williams in the third set of a Grand Slam final.
“It was a really great match from both of us.”
Denied the opportunity to equal Steffi Graf’s 22 Open era-record Grand Slam finals in Australia, Williams had much to play for when she met Kerber six months later in the final of Wimbledon.
With superstar singer Beyoncé among the many notable figures in the Centre Court crowd, there was no mistaking the magnitude of the occasion – and for an absorbing 81 minutes, the finalists produced a quality deserving of it.
Their rallies were long, their athleticism astonishing and the spirit from each woman unrelenting before Williams at last emerged a 7-5, 6-3 winner.
“Angelique, I love playing her, she’s such a great opponent,” said Williams as she once again clutched the Venus Rosewater Dish. “She really brings out great tennis in me and then once we walk off the court she’s such a wonderful person to be around just to smile at. So thank you for being that great person.”
That the 2018 Wimbledon ladies’ final is a repeat of that memorable 2016 one adds an unmistakable feel-good factor. But each woman knows that the battle will be spirited.
“She knows the feeling to going out on this stage where you are in the finals, especially here. She won here I don't know how many times,” said Kerber of Williams. “She's a fighter. She's a champion. That's why she is there where she is now.”
Seven-time champion Serena, aiming to continue the momentum of victories in her past two Wimbledon outings in 2015 and 2016, expects a high quality.
“It's her second final in three years,” Williams noted of Kerber. “That's wildly impressive. Believe me, I know she wants to go out there and win. So do I. I think it will be just like the last final, it will be a really good final.”
Signs from their previous performances are only positive. From two stunning Grand Slam finals, two very deserving champions. The one certainty when they meet in their third major decider is that Kerber and Williams can each bring out the other's sublime best.
