The £1m prize money, the highest ever, will be a welcome aside for the world No.1 and top seed. What she was really after was yet another trophy for the Williams family at the world's leading tennis tournament and to kick off a new Wimbledon decade after the Noughties were dominated by her and older sister Venus. After today's victory, the title tally is Serena 4 Venus 5, but the 28-year-old younger sister is catching up fast.
Zvonareva, the 21st seed and appearing in her first Grand Slam final, paid full tribute afterwards. She told Serena, as the winner clutched the Venus Rosewater Dish: "You are a great player and also a great champion. You really deserved to win today." And so she did.
Williams opened with a flourish, holding serve to love and throwing in an ace timed at 114mph, and though Zvonareva's serve was matching the American's - for accuracy if not power - the ball was invariably coming back at her faster than she had dispatched it.
Trying for service power cost the Russian the occasional double-fault but she had better luck when driving the ball high to the baseline, particularly on Williams' backhand, rather than hitting flat and hard.
Williams' ferocity was made clear on her regular aces, which generally clocked in at around 115mph, and despite the loud support for "our Vera" from a crowd keen to see an equal match, it was Williams who started to press for the advantage. She had a break point in the sixth game as Zvonareva went for the lines and narrowly missed three times, but the break was saved with a brave forehand and Zvonareva held with an ace.
But that merely postponed the inevitable until Zvonareva stepped up to serve again at 3-4. Despite having two game points for 4-4, she was reeled in by the relentless Serena, who needed three break points to clock up a 5-3 lead but achieved it, brilliantly, at the third time of asking with a sensational forehand pass.
Throwing another ace into the mix, Williams served out for a one-set lead after 36 minutes, and while the Russian was still reeling Serena also poached the opening game of the second set to accelerate the Zvonareva slide. Now Williams was in full majestic, athletic flow and there is no-one else in the world of women's tennis capable of containing her in such a mood.
She broke again for a 4-1 lead, courtesy of a Zvonareva double-fault and the Russian's fate was virtually confirmed. In the last couple of games, the 25-year-old Muscovite looked in urgent need of body armour as Williams pounded down some huge shots. The final game started with Williams' fastest ace of the afternoon at 122mph. It was also her 89th ace of the fortnight, a record for any woman here at Wimbledon.
As if to underline her powerful grip on the game, the tournament and the world of women's tennis right now, she followed that up with a succession of thunderous overheads, the last of which sealed her fourth title.
At the moment of victory, the racket which had propelled the ball so fast and so accurately was hurled high into the air as Williams did a quick bow to the crowd and then raised prizefighter-style double clenched fists. The undefeated champion once again.
see http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/match_reports/2010-07-03/201007031278168450640.html?promo=sl_toparticles
She's The Great Champion !
ReplyDeleteyes, absolutely....her speed and power are great
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