Serena Williams has been defeated in the Wimbledon Final by Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-3, to win her first Wimbledon title on Saturday and her third Grand Slam title since the beginning of 2016.
Although the result of this final was not technically an upset, because Kerber is seeded 11th and Williams 25th with their ranking disparity even wider, with Kerber at No. 10 and Williams No. 181. What makes it interesting is Williams is a seven-time Wimbledon champion with 23 major singles titles. Williams would have equalled Margaret Court’s record of 24 Wimbledon titles which has stood since 1973 if he had won on Saturday.
Williams, 36, was playing her fourth tournament on tour after giving birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., on Sept. 1, 2017. The seven time champion reiterated that she didn’t intend to win the championship but rather wanted to make a statement that she was back in the game despite being a new mother.
During a post-match interview in which she fought back tears, she said, “
“I was really happy to get this far. I’m literally just getting started.”
Williams had played and won the 2017 Australian Open while she was two months pregnant. She however could not play again until 13 months later due to severe complications she suffered after her cesarean section, including a pulmonary embolism, a medical problem she has experienced in the past.
The Wimbledon tournament this year was full of upsets with none of the top 10 seeds making it to the quarterfinals. Saturday’s finals however still featured a pair of Grand Slam champions and former No. 1 players.
With her court coverage and counterpunching style, Kerber is proving to be a formidable foil to Williams. The two met in two close Grand Slam finals in 2016, with Kerber winning at the Australian Open and Williams at Wimbledon.
Kerber went on to win the 2016 United States Open, becoming No. 1 for the first time although she struggled in 2017, when she won no tournaments and fell to No. 21 in the rankings.
The start of Saturday’s match was delayed by about two hours because the completion of the men’s semifinal between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, which had been suspended on Friday night.