Serena beats Radwanska to level Venus' Wimbledon tally with fifth crown at SW19
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UPDATED:
16:41 GMT, 7 July 2012
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An emotional Serena Williams broke down in tears on the Centre Court after completing a comeback from what she describes as a near-death experience with a Wimbledon final win over Agnieszka Radwanska.
The American was unable to stop her voice from breaking as she addressed the crowd after securing her 14th grand slam title, which was also her first since she won at the All England Club two years ago.
A week after that success she injured
her foot when she stepped on some glass in Munich, with the injury
itself and subsequent complications keeping her out for the best part of
a year.
Pure delight: Serena Williams celebrates with the trophy after victory
Mixed emotions: Serena jumps for joy, while Radwanska reflects on a superb tournament
She has since revealed that she nearly
died owing to a undetected blood clot caused by the injury spreading to
her lungs and, after she saw off Radwanska 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, two years'
worth of emotions came flooding out.
She clambered into the players' box to
celebrate with her family, and then said: 'I can't describe it. I
almost didn't make it when I was in that hospital, but here I am again
and it's so worth it.
'I never dreamed of being here when I was so down but I never gave up.'
Flat out: Serena Williams is overcome by emotion after winning her fifth Wimbledon
Family affair: Venus claps as Serena hugs father Richard
Williams then turned to her family and
friends, in particular dad Richard, mum Oracene, sister Venus and
physiotherapist Esther Lee, and said: “I thank you from the bottom of my
heart.
'I could never have done this without you when you were with me in the hospital. Thank you so much.'
While Williams shed tears after winning her fifth Wimbledon, Radwanska – on her grand slam final debut – was also emotional.
Show of force: Williams was in unstoppable form
She was a doubt to play owing to
a respiratory problem and was hit off the court in the first and third
sets, her serve being broken twice in each.
She saved face with a courageous
second set, and said: 'I have had the best two weeks of my life. Playing
in the wind and rain has not helped me, but I was playing my best.'
After Radwanska's admission about her
illness, Williams' early tactic appeared to be to try to work her
opponent as hard as possible, often hitting wide to the backhand to have
her scrambling and drain her resources.
In full flow: There was no stopping Serena as she wrapped up her 14th Grand Slam
The move paid off in the shape of a second-game break which came at the third attempt when she forced an already weary-looking Radwanska to fire wide.
The break was cemented with a pinpoint drop shot before she took Radwanska's serve for a second time, albeit through her opponent's fault rather than her own good work with a tame second serve being eaten up.
A 6-0 scoreline was on the cards when Radwanska fell behind at 15-40. She served her way out of danger, but got nowhere near Williams' delivery in the next game as she lost the set.
Fighting back: Radwanska put the woes of the first set behind with a battling display in the second
The players left court quickly after that for a 25-minute rain delay, and Radwanska returned a different player after it.
Initially she was broken in the third
game, offering up two break points after a pair of tame second serves
were turned into winners, but in the sixth she offered hope of a
recovery, taking two points off a previously untouchable serve with two
cute shots.
A break duly followed in the eighth, although she had good fortune on her side in securing it.
Williams, serving at break point, had to re-play an unreturned serve
after it was called out when replays showed it was a foot in. Radwanska
made the most of the let-off, dominating a rally that resulted in
Williams netting.
Running away with it: Serena leaps through the crowd on her way to celebrate with her family
That had the battle-thirsty crowd on
their feet and Williams was rattled, letting out a groan as a Radwanska
forehand ripped past her and again when she netted from close range at
30-30 on the Pole's serve.
Radwanska had momentum and the
support on her side and, after a routine hold to 6-5 she broke for a
second time in the set when Williams netted at 15-40.
The match was level. Williams was
still getting chances but, unlike in the first half of the match she was
struggling to take them, with her break-point conversion rate
stretching out to three from 10 over the first three games of the
decider.
Hauled off: Williams and Radwanska leave Centre Court after the first set for a 15-minute rain delay
She spurned one in the first game and
two more in the third, giving up on two shots from Radwanska that she
had earlier been covering with ease.
But she fired herself back up with a
perfect service game, winning it to love in 49 seconds with four aces
that took her tournament tally into three figures, before finally taking
a break point when Radwanska went long with a backhand.
She fashioned four more break points
the next time Radwanska had ball in hand too, taking the last of them
when she bravely played a drop shot into the wind.
A raised fist to her family suggested
she knew the end was nigh and, after serving it out to 15, Williams
embarked on a Pat Cash-style climb into the stands to celebrate with
them.