Redemption for Angelique Kerber as she stuns Serena Williams in Wimbledon final
Serena Williams denied a chance at history by Germany’s Angelique Kerber, losing to the world No. 10 in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
It was supposed to be Serena Williams’ day of victory. A day with history written all over it, going for her 24th grand slam, which would have equaled Margaret Court’s record. It was a day for a returning mom trying to become one of only a few grand slam winning moms. It would have been an eighth Wimbledon title for the 23-time slam champion, to match Roger Federer’s record at the All England Club, and only one shy of Martina Navratilova’s nine.
But everyone forgot all about the other player across the net, Angelique Kerber, written off since her problems last year. Kerber was going for her own redemption. A former world No. 1, she had achieved a breakthrough year in 2016, making three finals, and winning two, including a shock victory over Serena at the 2016 Australian Open, her first slam win. She lost to Serena in the Wimbledon final that year, but bounced back by defeating Karolina Pliskova in the U.S. Open final.
But what followed was a year of disappointment, going out in the first round in two grand slams, problems with form, and a drop in rankings in 2017. Her resolve in the game was questioned and she was frankly written off by many as a fluke.
However, the 11th seed built her way back in 2018 and just showed everyone expecting a completely different outcome in the women’s final that the now three-time slam champion just achieved the comeback that no one saw coming.
It wasn’t as if Kerber’s efficient performance in the Wimbledon final was all that surprising. She had consistently progressed to the quarters and semis in tournaments all year. Getting to the final, Kerber beat several seeds on the way, compared with only one seed for Serena Williams. With the major win at Wimbledon, she has won slams on two different surfaces, hard court and grass.
Gracious in her winner’s speech, she took time to congratulate her opponent and talked about how much she admired the legendary athlete.
“You’re [Serena] such an amazing person, and congratulations again for coming back,” Kerber said during her on-court interview.
“I knew I had to play my best tennis against a champion like Serena. I loved every second playing in front of you guys. Thank you so much for the support.
“Thank you to my box, and my family and friends. Without you I wouldn’t be here so thank you.”
Like her idol and compatriot Steffi Graf—whose 22-slam Open Era record Serena Williams beat at last year’s Australian Open—Kerber watched her name added to the Wimbledon winner’s list at the All England Club.
“It’s just a dream come true,” Kerber said afterwards in her on-court interview with ESPN.
Getting to the final was a remarkable return for Serena Williams, who had been steadily improving since coming back from maternity leave and several surgeries. She assured the audience that she will return and it was “just the beginning” in her on-court speech. The 36 year-old will now be one of the top contenders going into the U.S. Open next month, where she’s won six times.
In the meantime, Angelique Kerber can revel in her success and redemption.
The men’s final—featuring Novak Djokovic’s own remarkable surprise comeback bid—will take place on Sunday at 9:00 a m. EST on ESPN with an encore over on ABC at 3:00 p. m.