WIMBLEDON – Serena Williams defeated Agniezska Radwanska 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 to capture her fifth Wimbledon title and her 14th overall career major title.  Williams is the first 30-year-old winner since 1990 when a 33-year-old Martina Navratilova captured her ninth Wimbledon singles crown.
“This one is super special., ” said the American. “It’s Wimbledon. I’ve wanted to win here so bad. Oh, my gosh, I still can’t believe that I was able to come through and win my seven matches, yes.
“So each one’s different. This one obviously is special to me because it’s a huge comeback for me. You know, I couldn’t ask for anything else. I really couldn’t.”
“Like I said on court as well, these are the best two weeks of my life, said Radwanska. “When practicing and playing tennis all your life, I think it’s a dream for everyone to be in the final.
“So basically for sure I’m just very happy. Of course it’s always disappointing to lose, especially after a tough and good match. But so very happy about my final.”
Williams won toss and elected to serve. After holding the first game at 15 she took Radwanska to deuce five times in the second game, breaking the Pole on her third break point to take a 2-0 lead. Williams came out focused, mixing up her play sealing a 3-0 lead with a drop shot winner. Serena moved to a 5-0 lead.
Radwanksa fought off set points in the sixth game to avoid being bageled (6-0) when she nailed an ace to win her first game. Williams sealed the set in the seventh game 6-1 in 36 minutes.
The rain began coming down during the last game of the first set and after its completion, play was suspended and the court was covered up for 20 minutes.
“I was a little bit nervous in the beginning, especially being in my first final. Radwanska said. “I think I just wanted too much a little bit. I think the break was better for me just to cool down a little bit.
“When I was going on the court the second time, I just felt like a normal match. Didn’t seem like a final anymore, so there was not that much pressure.”
Williams began the second set spraying four unforced in the first game to give Radwanska an easy hold. Williams held steady breaking Radwanska in the third game to take a 3-1 lead.
In the eighth game of the second set with Williams up 4-3, Radwanska broke the American for the first time in the match to make the set 4-4. The game included a 22-shot rally which the Pole ended with a backhand-down-the-line winner.
Radwanska dug out of 0-30 hole in her next service game to make it 5-4, still on serve. Williams held to make it 5-5, followed by a hold at love for Radwanska to make it 6-5.
Williams serving to get into a second set tiebreaker saw errors creep into her game which gave Radwanska the game and the second set 7-5.
Williams opened the third set threatening Radwanska’s serve but could not break.
Williams fired four straight aces to even the set 2-2 in a 49 second game.
“I do that all the time now, said Williams on the feat, “I did it in Madrid. I think I did it earlier in this tournament. That’s my latest and greatest thing to do, is hitting four aces in a game. It’s awesome.”
Williams finally capitalized on break points until the fifth game to take it to a 3-2.
Williams held for 4-2 and broke again at 15 for a 5-2 third set lead.
“I tried to stay more calm in the third than I had in the second, said Williams. “So that was my thing. I just got too anxious and I shouldn’t have been so anxious.
” I just think that I was, you know, playing aggressive a little more than the first set. Then I have to give credit where credit’s due. She started playing really, really well.
“She started playing excellent grass court tennis, getting a lot of balls back, and I panicked a little bit and I shouldn’t have. I usually don’t. ”
Williams closed out the match on her serve with a backhand winner to capture the Wimbledon title for the fifth time, tying her with her sister Venus.
Williams raised her hands to the sky and fell to the ground on her back in celebration after match point , then climbed up the Friend’s Box to celebrate with her family. Later Williams was jumping up and down on the court with the trophy – the Venus Rosewater dish.
“I think I have the best two weeks of my life. I’m just happy to have been here in the final,” said a tearful Radwanska after receiving her finalist’s trophy “I have great memories from 2005 when I won Junior Wimbledon . Today I had a chance to win Wimbledon but it was not my day.”
Williams on her victory after receiving the the winner’s trophy, “Oh my God, I can’t even describe. I almost didn’t make it a few years ago I was in hospital and now I’m here again. So worth it.”
“It was really tough. Aggie played so well. That’s why she’s had such a great career so young.”
Williams fired 102 aces during the fortnight at Wimbledon, a new record. “My serve really helped me throughout this tournament, I think. I don’t know. I can’t describe why it was so good or how it was so good. Like I said, it’s not like I practice it that much. I just had the rhythm, you know, kind of felt it.”
“She was serving very well today,” Radwanska said of her opponent. “So many aces and I couldn’t do much about it.
“I really had my chances, and I took the second set. Then I think she was just too good in important moments in the third set, so it was too hard for me to come back.”
Williams spoke to media about her highs and lows of the past two years:
“There was a moment I just remember I was on the couch and I didn’t leave the whole day, for two days. I was just over it. I was praying, like I can’t take any more. I’ve endured enough. Let me be able to get through this.
“I didn’t give up. I was just so tired at that point. I had a tube in my stomach and it was draining constantly. Gosh, I mean, right before that I had the blood clot. I had lung problems. You know, then I had two foot surgeries. It was a lot. It was a lot. I felt like I didn’t do anything to bring on that. I felt like, uhm, I just felt down, the lowest of lows.
“You know, coming here and winning today is amazing because, you know, literally last year I was ranked almost 200. You know, it’s been an unbelievable journey for me.
“The French Open was so disappointing because I won Charleston and I won Madrid. I did extremely well in Rome. I was undefeated on clay. I had a lot of confidence. You know, when I lost that, that really got me down.”
Is 30 the new twenty in tennis? “I have never felt better, Williams said. “This whole tournament I have pretty much been injury‑free. I played so much. Normally I play two events, but this one was different because I played every day, two matches a day for a while. I haven’t done that in a long time, and I felt great, so…”
Williams will move up to No. 4 in the world rankings next week and Radwanska will move to the No.2 spot.
“My target is the next tournament, followed by the next slam,” said Williams. You know what I mean? I don’t think that far in advance. Just let me do a little bit at a time.