Tennis
Serena Williams wins 4th Wimbledon, 13th major
(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-07-04 09:25
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WIMBLEDON, England – Getting set to accept her latest Wimbledon trophy, Serena Williams lifted both arms and held aloft 10 fingers. Then, raising only her right hand, she wiggled three more fingers, bringing the total count to 13.
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Defending champion Serena Williams reacts as she wins a point from Vera Zonareva, during the women's singles final on the Centre Court at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, Saturday, July 3, 2010. [Agencies] |
That's how many Grand Slam singles titles Williams owns as of Saturday.
"I thought, 'I hope I got the number right,'" she said. "You know me: I tend to forget."
That's OK, Serena. The way you're accumulating championships, it's tough to keep track.
With a superb serve that had other greats of the game gushing, and plenty of offense and defense to back it up, the No. 1-ranked Williams overwhelmed No. 21 Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-3, 6-2 in Saturday's final to win her fourth Wimbledon title and, yes, 13th major tournament overall.
That's the most among active women and gives Williams sole possession of sixth place on the all-time list, breaking a tie with her former US Fed Cup captain, Billie Jean King. Addressing King, who was in the front row of the Royal Box, Williams said: "Hey, Billie, I got you! This is No. 13 for me now. It's just amazing to able to be among such great people."
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She's won five of the last eight Grand Slam tournaments, including two in a row at Wimbledon, where she also was champion in 2002-03. Williams and her older sister Venus have won nine of the past 11 titles at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.
"Everywhere we look, there's another Wimbledon trophy," Williams said, rolling her eyes. "I'm, like, 'Ugh, not one of those again.'"
Williams was kidding, of course. Maybe she also was joking when she said Friday that she'd prepare for the final by relaxing and watching the TV show "Desperate Housewives." In the end, her victory over Zvonareva lasted only slightly longer than an episode — 67 minutes — and was rather short on drama.
Both women hit the ball with plenty of force from the baseline, and both grunted loudly, the noise reverberating through the arena. After 21 minutes, they were tied at 3-all. Zvonareva was hanging in there despite being the second-lowest-ranked woman to play in a Wimbledon final.
Then, turning it on, Williams reeled off eight of the next nine games to seize complete control and add to her collection of championships, which includes five Australian Opens, three U.S. Opens and one French Open. She brings her best when it counts the most: Her only other title of 2010 came at the Australian Open in January; she was sidelined all of February, March and April with a left knee injury.
Margaret Smith Court leads the way with 24 major titles, followed by Steffi Graf with 22, Helen Wills Moody with 19, and Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert with 18 apiece.
So where does Williams rank among the best women's tennis players through the years?
"Top five," answered Navratilova, without a moment's hesitation. "It's not just about how many Slams you win or how many tournaments you win — it's just your game overall. And she's definitely got all the goods. It would have been fun to play her, but at the same time, I'm glad that I didn't have to."
Of all her skills, Williams' serve is the most impressive. Growing up in Compton, Calif., she found practicing serves so boring that she and Venus would chat when their father's back was turned, then resume hitting balls when he'd check on them.