Simona Halep channeled positive spirit to play the Wimbledon final of her life vs. Serena Williams
Simona Halep won her second grand slam and first Wimbledon title with a nearly flawless, extremely efficient game, beating legend Serena Williams in less than an hour, in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.
Simona Halep cemented her name among the greats of the sport, with a second Grand Slam, in just 54 minutes. She beat the all-time great, Serena Williams, realization her name etched on the Wimbledon trophy and on the board of champions.
And she did it with style.
Halep put on a nerveless, highly efficient performance. In two sets, she committed just three unforced errors. The 27-year-old also maintained her composure and just focused on playing an almost perfect game. She played the match of her life, a masterclass of commanding expertise.
“There is no time for emotions,” was how Halep described her new mindset in her post-match interview.
Whether it was nerves on Serena’s part or that Halep was just too formidable, there were too many mistakes on the part of the 23-time slam champion to overcome. Halep just kept hitting cross-court winners, pushing Serena to fire off too many errors. Several balls that should have clipped the corners fell into the net for the American.
Serena started out the match with seven unforced errors off the bat but managed to get two games by the end of the set. However, the momentum was clearly in Halep’s corner as she raced to a 6-2 lead in the match.
The 37-year-old willed herself to get back in the game by shouting after hitting a few winners at the outset of the second set. But it wasn’t enough. Serena was soon looking back up at her box in frustration. In the past, Serena’s awesome power has been too much for her opponents, but in the final, Halep was able to find a way to absorb all that power. She also looked up at her box at the end of the first set, with a simple fist pump, and the calm belief that she could finish the job.
Halep’s crystal-clear accuracy with her shot placement was breathtaking. Her court coverage was just too good. By the time the score read 4-2 in the second set, Serena’s husband, Alexis Ohanian, was looking on with a tight, worried look. The intensity from Halep just never let up, and by the end of the just shy-of-an-hour game, Halep put her arms up in the air with elation.
"Have you ever played a better match than that?"
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 13, 2019
"Never!"@Simona_Halep speaks as a #Wimbledon champion for the first time... pic.twitter.com/0VRfeD628L
Serena was gracious in defeat and only had nothing but humble praise for Halep’s phenomenal performance.
“It was a little deer in the headlights for me,” said Serena in her on-court interview. “You have to take your hat off [to Simona].”
It’s been an impressive return to the game for the mother to baby Olympia. The seven-time Wimbledon champion went through a difficult birth, that involved life-threatening complications. Still, the fighter that she is, Serena managed to return to top form and make three GS finals, including back-to-back Wimbledons and last year’s U.S. Open. She’s the world No. 10 and is always a contender for more titles.
During her on-court interview, Serena vowed to “keep fighting, keeping playing. I love the sport.”
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In addition to the beautiful Venus Rosewater Dish trophy, the $2.95 million check, and being congratulated by royalty (both Duchesses Cambridge and Sussex, as well as Kate’s sister, Pippa, all watched the match). Kate Middleton (Cambridge) was on hand to congratulate the new champion afterward.
"But Simona Halep was elated with yet another bonus perk. “I told the people in the locker room, ‘if I win this tournament, I will get to be a member for life,’” she said [smiling]."
Halep conquered her mind to let her tennis gifts shine. Two years ago, her coach, Darren Cahill, had quit, due to her temper on the court. But he was back in the player’s box when she lifted the Wimbledon trophy on Saturday. She thanked him, crediting him for her renewed mental focus.
“Because of you I’ve learned to be a better person on court,” Halep said during the trophy presentation.
Halep became the first Romanian woman to win the Wimbledon slam.
“I’d like to thank my country because I have a lot of support every time I play.”
At age 27, Halep has won her first Wimbledon trophy, on a surface that only started to become comfortable for her a few years ago. She’s a two-time slam champion. Playing with such efficiency and with the kind of mental fortitude she displayed in the final, she’s made a pretty convincing case that more grand slams are in her future.
The gentlemen’s championship will take place on Sunday, with the marquee matchup between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, starting at 9:00 a.m., ET, viewable on ESPN, with an encore showing on The Tennis Channel. Can Federer channel genius two times in a row to get to record title No. 21?