SERENA’S ROYAL SUPPORT
Meghan backing her pal
WIMBLEDON queen Serena Williams will be supported by her close pal the Duchess of Sussex in tomorrow’s ladies’ final.
The 36-year-old American can equal Margaret Court’s Grand Slam singles record of 24 titles with victory over Germany’s Angelique Kerber in a repeat of the 2016 showpiece.
Seven-time champion Williams went to watch Meghan Markle’s husband Prince Harry play polo at the start of the tournament and her actress friend will now return the favour along with Princess Kate.
Williams cruised into a 10th Wimbledon final with a 6-2 6-4 win over Germany’s Julia Goerges yesterday – 10 months after the birth of daughter Olympia – and said: “It came from the Palace that she is coming on Saturday.
“We’ve always had a wonderful friendship, she has supported me at Wimbledon.
“Now she is supporting me in a different role but our friendship is still exactly the same. If there were tennis royalty, I probably would be.
“If there was a Wimbledon royalty, I would like to believe I would be.
“I have done pretty well here in the past. I am a member, so that kind of counts.”
Williams added: “It’s crazy, I don’t know how to feel, I really didn’t expect to do so well in only my fourth tournament back.
“I had a really tough delivery and multiple surgeries and almost didn’t make it.
“I couldn’t even walk to my mailbox so it doesn’t feel normal at all to be in the final.”
Great
Kerber, 30, beat Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 6-3 and is on a revenge mission after her defeat in the 2016 final – the same year she won two other Grand Slams and reached world No.1.
Kerber said: “We have had so many great matches. It’s great that she’s back.
“She is always pushing you to the limits to play your best tennis.
“She’s coming back after time out and for me also, I’m coming back from a bad year in 2017.
“Wimbledon is a really special place, it’s a great tournament and it would be really special to win it but it’s still a long way to go, and I know that I have to play my best tennis.”
JAMIE MURRAY and Belarus’s Victoria Azarenka are through to the semi-finals of the mixed doubles, where they will play wildcard all-British pair Jay Clarke and Harriet Dart.