American pays tribute to rival’s hunger for success
Johanna Konta may have fallen short in her bid to reach a first Wimbledon final, but she is a grand-slam champion in the making, according to her conqueror, Venus Williams.
Williams, fresh from defeating the British No1 6-4, 6-2, said: “She played an amazing tournament. She showed a lot of courage, played in tough situations against players who were in form. I feel like she wants these majors, and she’ll have an opportunity.
“She’s played some amazing matches against me, as well. They were all well contested, and today was, too.”
Williams’ win takes her to a first Wimbledon final in eight years, but her mood after the match was one of emotional exhaustion rather than exultation. Given what the 37 year-old has been through in the past few years, such a reaction was hardly surprising.
In 2011, Williams was diagnosed with the auto-immune disorder Sjogren’s Syndrome – an illness that can cause fatigue and tiredness, reduce strength, and lead to joint and muscle pain. At that point many were starting to pen Williams’ tennis obituary, especially when her world ranking plunged to No137 the following year.
She gradually fought her way back – reaching the Australian Open final in January – but once again there were offcourt obstacles to overcome. In June, Williams faced a lawsuit over a fatal car crash that claimed the life of a 78-year-old. She has subsequently been cleared of any wrongdoing, but the case was still hang- ing over her last week when she began her Wimbledon campaign. The distress was such that after her first-round win against Elise Mertens, Williams broke down in tears and had to briefly leave her press conference.
But since being cleared later in the week, Williams has looked liberated and is back to doing what she does best: making tennis history. Yesterday’s win makes her the oldest Wimbledon finalist since Martina Navratilova in 1994, and should she win tomorrow she will become the oldest singles champion in the Open era.
Of the struggles she has faced, Williams was typically phlegmatic. “Yeah, there’s definitely a lot of ups and downs,” she said. “I just try to hold my head up high, no matter what is happening in life.”
Her opponent tomorrow will be Garbine Muguruza, the Spaniard whom Venus’s sister Serena beat in the 2015 final. “We’ve played a number of matches [Williams has won three out of their four encounters] but I’ve never played her on grass, so that becomes a different factor,” said Williams, before paying tribute to Serena, who is pregnant and not at Wimbledon this year. “I miss her so much,” she said. “Even more yesterday and today. I try to take the same courage on the court that she would have. I did think of that. I don’t know that I play exactly the same way she does. But I really tried to be inspired by it.”
Ladies singles final Venus Williams (US, 10) v Garbine Muguruza (Spain, 14) Saturday, July 15, 2pm