Record- equaling 24th Grand Slam continues to elude Serena.
Serena Williams lost to an inspired Simona Halep in straight sets in Wimbledon finals. Her loss means she has to wait to match Margret Court’s record of 24 Grand slam.
37-year-old Williams lost 6-2, 6-2 in just 52 minutes to Halep who clinched her second Grand Slam title. Many unforced errors undid her achievement of getting into the final for the 12th time. She dispatched an inspired Alison Riske en route in the semifinals. No major obstacles – no former Wimbledon finalists – no major reigning champions – no current top five players – just Halep; and she was undone.
Serena, has been unable to add to her trophy cabinet since the birth of her daughter Alexia Olympia in September 2017.
The 7-time Wimbledon champion was on the back foot for most of the first set as Halep raced to a 4-0 lead in 11 minutes. By the time she would up the tempo in the second set, a spirited Halep won’t back down. Her opponent chased ball after ball and won the game in under an hour.
She previously teamed up with Andy Murray in the mixed doubles category this she says helped her preparation. She was moving well and playing more confidently since her last outing at the French Open in May.
Her last victory came nearly two and a half years ago at the Australian Open. How long do fans have to wait for her to make history? She admits that at 37, opportunities will be slim but trust Serena to be remain in contention for a while. If she keeps getting into finals, she will have to win at some point.
“She played of her mind” Williams said of Halep, especially as she has won in 9 of their 10 meetings. “It was a little bit a deer in headlights for me. Whenever a player plays like that you just have to take your hat off”, she said.
For now, fan favorite, Serena will go back to being a mom and forget the 15,000 cheering fans on center court. This record is just one of the few records she doesn’t hold out-rightly.
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