Wimbledon England –
Serena couldn’t help gloating. After meeting the Duchess of Cambridge (for us peasants that would be Prince Williams’ main squeeze, Kate Middleton) she tweeted that she was now, “in with the in crowd now. I’m with royalty.”
But hold on, it’s not exactly wise these days for insiders to show off their establishment credentials. Jeb Bush got crushed. It’s a big vulnerability for Hillary. Britain’s Prime Minister just got “Brexit-ed’ and on court a fellow named Federer hasn’t won a Slam in four years, Rafa spent his Wimbledon in Mallorca and when you think of Djokovic, who was hoping to win his fifth straight Slam, one rather clever, almost cruel, phrase comes to mind: “Djexit.”
Of course, for years the one-time outsider Serena has been the establishment. “She’s been the one constant we’ve had on the WTA Tour,” said Tracy Austin. But in this era of upset-the-apple-cart impulses, many relish torpedoing the powerful.
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How athletes deal with pressure is the lifeblood of sports. And it is all the better when the greatest of our champions confront excruciating expectations.
Never before in tennis had we seen such scrutiny as when Serena won Wimbledon last year to come within a major of winning the Grand Slam and equaling Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Slams.
But in New York she was crushed. In the ashes about Ashe Stadium, there was only one question. Was Serena done in by the slice and dice subtlety of Roberta Vinci’s game – or was she just punched in the gut by history?
No matter, she retreated for four months and emerged only to suffer two more devastating defeats in the Australian and French Open finals.
Oh, do we love to see the mighty twitch. But this was painful. Many called Serena the best ever, but she hadn’t won a Slam in a year. Often she seemed glum and rather miserable. At one point, she spoke of sleepless nights and confided she was playing with a broken heart.
But somehow, just after the French Open, the fever broke. This morning her coach Patrick Mouratoglou recalled the moment. “I had a call with her two or three days after her loss at Roland Garros,” he told Inside Tennis. “And when I hung up, I said to myself, “Okay, she’s back. She’s back.”
As Serena said she had put so much pressure on herself until finally there wasn’t any more pressure that could be applied. She spoke of her resilience and the need to stay calm.
Today, Mouratoglou said the key to the match would be for Serena to trust her instincts, not think too much, and serve like she had been doing during the fortnight here in London.
She did.
German Angelique Kerber, who had beaten Serena in Melbourne, again was a formidable foe. Fleet, muscular, athletic and experienced, she showed off her fabulous defensive skills which, in an instant, could switch to offense and shock power. In the second game of the match, she brushed off three break points. A fierce, tight, all-court battle soon enthralled a Centre Court crowd that wondered whether the lefty Gerber – with her sneak drop shots, her serves which jammed Serena, and her adept baseline play – would again defend the honor of Graf – her fellow German who had won here 20 years ago. Or would Williams use her devastating serve, her power game and her mental strength to at last claim history?
Fans were blessed with one exquisite point after another. Cross-court blasts, stunning recoveries, blazing speed and a dazzling twirl and flick volley exchange. This was women’s tennis at its best. The margins were thin. With Serena’s quest for 22 Slams in mind, Catch 22 references filled the press box until a fashion challenge drew everyone’s attention. “The frills of Serena’s fluffy dress is being buffeted by the wind,” said Live at Wimbledon Radio. “Her dress is fluttering just like in “Some Like It Hot.”
How appropriate. Serena was being compared with another gifted American icon, Marilyn Monroe, who like Serena felt pressure we could only imagine.
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As is often the case in grass court tennis, matters were resolved in a flash.
In the 12th game of the first set, Kerber suffered two forehand errors and Serena collected the set 7-5 with a brilliant cross-court backhand deep to the corner. It had been ten years since a woman had come back to win Wimbledon after losing the first set and that pattern continued today. Kerber continued to glide and pop – she seemed to be everywhere. At 4-3 Kerber at last managed a coveted break point. But who is a better crisis manager then Serena? And who has a better bail-out shot than the American? She blasted a 114 mph ace and then a twisting 106 mph ace to turn the tide and again break the German.
Up 5-3, Serena sensed history at last was hers for the taking. Confident, and with some swagger, she raced through the next game. When she stroked the easiest of forehand volleys she settled the matter 7-5, 6-3.
A “Catch 22” is said to be a situation that can’t be resolved because you are dealing with “a set of inherently illogical rules or conditions.” But now Serena had resolved the “Catch 22” aura which had hovered over her so doggedly for a year. Knowing the title was hers, Serena’s body went completely limp and dropped to Wimbledon’s almost sacred turf. The sense of relief was overwhelming. Still she got up and soon danced and then flashed, not one, but two victory signs indicative of her 22 title.
How appropriate – the Victory sign was popularized right here in London by none other than Winston Churchill. Then it became the peace sign used by 60s anti-war activists. And after the match, as the press grilled her on whether she now had to break Steffi’s record or go for the all-time record of 24 held by Margaret Court, Serena pivoted and spoke of how she has “been given such a great opportunity …where I can inspire…any kid out there that wants to be something.” Translation: the rough and tumble blaster who barked at refs and said she wanted to shove a ball down the throat of a linesperson was now more than a 22-time Grand Slam winner. Ms. Williams had gone beyond tennis. Sports Illustrated said she embodied America, and on this day of athletic triumph, a woman reporter asked her whether she would speak out about America’s trauma – the Dallas shootings.
“Absolutely,” replied the tennis champion (whose half-sister was murdered in LA) and who was now wearing her social commentator hat. “[To] anyone of my color in particular [it] is of concern. I have nephews…Do I have…tell them, don’t go outside. If you get in your car, it might be the last time I see you.
That is of great concern because it would be devastating. They’re very good kids. I don’t think the answer is to continue to shoot our young black men in the United States. It’s just unfortunate. Or just black people in general. Obviously violence is not the answer…The shooting in Dallas was very sad. No one deserves to lose their life, [it] doesn’t matter what color they are, where they’re from. We’re all human. We have to learn that we have to love one another. It’s going to take a lot of education and work to get to that point… It’s something that is very painful to see.”
It was all, shall we say, intense and passionate. But then again, Serena, in her most telling comment of the week, told the press, “It’s no secret, I’m a very intense player. I’m so passionate at my job, just like you guys are with writing. I hope you are just as passionate. This is what I do, and I love what I do. I have woken up since I was three to do this. These are the moments I live for. The passion and the intensity that I have is what makes me Serena. I can’t change, nor would I ever want to be different.”
