‘A dream is all that you really need’

SERENA Williams revealed how yesterday’s awesome 22nd Grand Slam triumph finally mended her broken heart.

After 12 months of personal and injury problems, she said: “I have had some sleepless nights with a lot of stuff that was going on, but yeah, I guess this has mended a broken heart.

“I came into this tournament with a different mindset. I knew I needed to keep calm, be confident and just play the tennis I’ve been playing for a decade.”

Ms Williams did that with a devastating display that destroyed German Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3 in 80 minutes of incredible serving power.

She said: “I had to start focusing more on the positives, and once I started doing that I realised I’m pretty good. And then I started playing a little better!

“I’ve had great dreams. I didn’t come from any money or anything, but I did have a dream – and that’s all you really need.”

As she held aloft the gold champions plate, the 34-year-old American who won her first title 17 years ago, thanked “my God Jehovah” for her triumph.

Then she revealed that her next big dream is to win gold for her country at next month’s Olympic Games in Brazil.

She added: “I’ve won gold and I love gold. If I kept one trophy I would probably grab my gold medals.

“But right now I am probably a little more focused on the Slams – or at least I was with getting to 22. Now I feel everything else will be pretty good.”

Dreams are what Ms Kerber will be concentrating on as well – dreams of one day succeeding as the No1 woman player in the world.

Conceding that on the day she was beaten by a better player, Kerber, who will be ranked No2 next week, added: “I played a good match today, but I lost against a very strong Serena, and now I know how to handle the pressure.”