Cool, calm and collecting: Serena in right frame for final
Hours before her Wimbledon semifinal, Serena Williams spent some time deep in thought and arrived at a couple of conclusions.
For one thing, she shouldn’t focus too much on trying to raise her Grand Slam title total to 24, a number achieved by just one other player in tennis history. And, for another, she needs to stay calm on the court.
With that in mind, Williams went out and made it all look so easy, overwhelming Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-2 in 59 minutes to once again put herself on the verge of an eighth championship at the All England Club and major No 24 overall.
“It’s really not about 24 or 23 or 25. It’s really just about going out there and giving my best effort, no matter what. No matter what I do, I will always have a great career,” said Williams, who at 37 is the oldest woman to reach a Grand Slam final in the professional era. “Like, I just kind of let it go this morning.”
Tonight, she will take on No 7seeded Simona Halep of Romania, a 6-1, 6-3 winner over No 8 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine under a cloudy sky at Centre Court.
It’s the 11th final at the All England Club for Williams, the first for Halep, whose only major trophy came at the French Open last year.
They’ve played each other 10 previous times, with Williams winning nine, including a threesetter at the Australian Open in January.
“I respect a lot what she has done and what she’s doing,” said Halep, who, like Williams, used to be ranked No 1. “But now I feel stronger, mentally, facing her. We will see what is going to happen.
“It’s just a big challenge for me.”
For anyone, really, when Williams is at her best.
And after an up-and-down first half of the year, due in part to injury and illness, she sure does appear to have lifted her level considerably.
Williams was limited to 12 matches in 2019 until last week.
After a third-round loss at Roland Garros on June 1, she stayed in France for medical treatment and finally felt pain-free while preparing for Wimbledon.
“Well, if she will play like this in the final,” said Strycova, 33, the oldest first-time Grand Slam semifinalist in the modern era,
“it’s going to be very hard for Simona.”
After a three-set struggle against Alison Riske in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, Williams was dominant against Strycova, who was limited by a leg muscle problem that cropped up in the very first game.
Strycova would repeatedly flex or shake her legs between points or try to stretch in her sideline chair by pulling her right foot onto her left knee and rocking her leg. Not an ideal situation. Especially when facing Williams if she’s this dialled in.
Williams played cleanly, accumulating nearly twice as many winners as unforced errors, 28-10. She was at her usual courtcovering best, which helped limit Strycova to 10 winners.
“I just need to . . . relax and do what I can do,” Williams said, referring again to her deep thoughts from the morning.
“I was calm today,” she said, then rolled her eyes and added: “It’s a day-to-day basis with me.
“We all know that. I’m far from perfect.”