THE ULTIMATE CHAMPION
Coach admits Serena is desperate to make slam history today
The image of indifference that Serena Williams has been carefully constructing around the prospect of moving to a record- equalling 24 Grand Slam singles titles was summarily undressed as a ruse on the eve of this final with Simona halep — by the person who has guided her to this point.
All tournament Serena has claimed that after motherhood it is the taking part which counts, not necessarily the winning, sounding occasionally like an encouraging teacher on school sports day.
‘It’s really not about 24 or 23 or 25, it’s about giving my best effort,’ she said after winning her semi-final. ‘No matter what, I will always have a great career.’
Speaking on Centre Court yesterday, however, her coach Patrick Mouratoglou gave us a truer picture. ‘Serena has beaten a lot of records but this is the ultimate one,’ he said. ‘Of course, I’m not gonna lie about that. This is the reason she came back to tennis, to accept this life to travel all round. It’s because she wants the record. This final is gonna be incredibly special.’
So much for the understated approach Serena had been advocating. But really, it was reassuring to hear such a powerful message considering a Williams win ought to be regarded as one of the most compelling sports stories of the modern era.
Were she to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish again, aged 37 and having given birth 22 months ago with ensuing medical complications — plus a knee injury that has stalked her season — her legend would be cemented.
Statistically she could finally say she is the best female player in history. Victory would move her level with Margaret Court on 24 major titles, although those past successes came at a time when Grand Slams suffered from a less connected world. Court, from Perth, won the Australian Open 11 times when many players weren’t able to travel easily Down Under.
It is a global game now, with Serena beating players from six different nations to reach this stage. A seventh awaits in Romania’s halep. Kaja Juvan, the 18year-old from Slovenia, gave her the most problems in round two but in the next stage her determined destruction of Julia Goerges fired the belief that her wait could be nearing its end. Serena lost here in last year’s final to Angelique Kerber, and her sour defeat to Naomi Osaka in the US Open final raised the prospect that trying to match Court had detrimentally crept into her psyche. Mouratoglou, who has been by his player’s side for 10 Grand Slam wins, said: ‘We know a final is played a lot in the head, dealing with the emotions. They can make you better or play against you.
‘Nobody can feel what she feels. When you enter court to make history, the pressure is multiplied by 100. If you try not to talk about it, it will come back and bite you. You have to accept it. That is everything we will do to be ready.’ There is also the explanation those losses just came against younger players thirsty for their own success, or a natural consequence of having a child to raise. Serena, who is chasing an eighth Wimbledon win, has not won a title since motherhood.
halep will provide a rigorous test. The former world No 1 knows what it takes to win a major, lifting the French Open last year, and has benefited from a quieter buzz surrounding her progress here. The spotlight only really shone when she knocked out this tournament’s other wonder of age, 15-year-old Cori ‘Coco’ Gauff.
halep will get Serena moving and has the speed to counter huge groundstrokes. ‘I’m desperate to win Wimbledon more than to stop her,’ said halep. ‘I will focus on myself.’
The seventh seed, halep has only been triumphant once in 10 meetings, a straight-sets win at the round robin stage of the 2014 WTA Finals in Singapore, but that result is remembered.
‘I never forgot it, she played unbelievable,’ said Williams, who won the rematch in the final 6-3, 6-0. ‘That makes me know the level she can get to.’
Yet it is the level Serena can reach which is the tantalising question.