"I can't believe I'm standing here with another Serena Slam," Williams, emulating her feat of 2002-2003, told the crowd.
Indeed if the American triumphs in September at the U.S. Open and the odds are stacked in her favor given the 33-year-old is the three-time defending champion -she would become the first player since Steffi Graf in 1988 to achieve the calendar-year grand slam.
A victory would, too, draw the world No. 1 level with Graf on an Open Era leading 22 majors.
As if all that wasn't enough, Williams surpassed Martina Navratilova by nearly four weeks as the oldest women's grand slam winner in the Open Era.
The 21-year-old Muguruza, appearing in her first grand slam final, wept in her chair afterward but shouldn't feel overly disappointed. It's not very often that Williams loses grand slam finals: She improved to 21-4, last tasting defeat at the 2011 U.S. Open against Samantha Stosur.
Muguruza didn't go away tamely, either, making matters interesting after trailing 5-1 in the second. She won plenty of new fans with her performance at tennis' grandest arena.
"I want to (congratulate) Serena who is showing us she is world No. 1," Muguruza said.
Despite the occasion, it was the Venezuelan-born Muguruza who began the stronger.
If she was nervous, she didn't play like it.
Williams, by contrast, struck three of her eight double faults in the first game and was broken much to the delight of those gathered on Center Court. Muguruza's powerful serve and ground strokes troubled Williams in the early stages.
Congrats Serena
ReplyDeleteShe's got that super title-SERENA SLAM.
ReplyDeleteHappy for her.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Serena.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Mama
ReplyDeleteWELL DONE SISTER
ReplyDeleteCongrats
ReplyDeleteCongrats a true legend.
ReplyDeleteCongrats
ReplyDelete