By Ron Wynn
Though it was one of her worse defeats ever in a final, in many ways Serena Williams was still a big winner Saturday in the 2018 Wimbledon final. She had entered the event ranked just 183, but gotten a special seeding. Williams battled all the way to the finals, but Germany’s Angelique Kerber just had too much for her on this occasion. Kerber won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. Prior to this match Williams had only lost one set in the entire tournament.
But Kerber played a near perfect match. She had only four unforced errors to 14 for Williams. She had also defeated Williams before, at the 2016 Australian Open. This was her third major title. Her second had been the 2016 U.S. Open. Kerber is currently ranked 11th and no doubt will improve following this victory. Williams jumps up to 25th in the WTA rankings. She dedicated her efforts throughout the tournament to all mothers, and said she had really wanted to get what would have been her 24th Grand Slam title, tying Margaret Court’s record. But Williams is the record holder in the Open era..
“For all the moms out there, I did this for you. I tried my best,” Williams told the Associated Press afterwards.“I was really happy to get this far. It’s obviously disappointing, but I can’t be disappointed. I’m literally just getting started.” Her return to competitive tennis hasn’t been totally smooth. It’s only been 10 months since the birth of her first child Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr. It’s since been revealed she nearly died as blood clots were found in her lungs, and the after-effects of treating them led to additional multiple surgeries.
“What I’ve learned through the experience, everybody is different, every person is different, every physical body is different,” Williams added. But no matter the result on the court, she was definitely an inspiration for everyone throughout this tournament.
