Wondrous Williams seals second 'Serena Slam' at Wimbledon

4m read 12 Jul 2020 4y ago
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Welcome to Wimbledon Flashbacks, where wtatennis.com will take a look back at some of the most memorable narratives from The Championships over the past 20 years.

For more classic moments, check out our other Wimbledon Flashbacks:
1999: Qualifier Dokic dispatches top seed Hingis in first-round
1999: Stevenson topples Raymond in all-American 1999 thriller
2003: Navratilova shows her class at 46 to win title 20 alongside Paes
2004: Sharapova soars to first Slam title at Wimbledon
2005: Venus, Davenport contest classic clash in enthralling 2005 final

2006: Mauresmo shows her mettle to defeat Henin and win Wimbledon
2007: Bartoli breaks through to the bigtime with stunning Wimbledon upset
2009: Safina, Mauresmo christen Centre Court roof with Manic Monday epic
2010: Pironkova overcomes 'impossible,' doubles up on Wimbledon magic
2012: Immaculate Shvedova unlocks historic Golden Set

2013: Lisicki's upset streak peaks during run to 2013 Wimbledon final
2015: Hingis, Mirza dominate at Wimbledon in historic triumph
2017: Returning Rybarikova stuns Pliskova in 2017 Cinderella run
2019: From qualifying to Centre Court, Gauff's star rises at SW19

THE MOMENT: Serena Williams has captained a career that words often fail to do justice. From the 17-year-old who closed out the millennium with a maiden US Open title in 1999 to the 23-time Grand Slam champion she is today, Williams plays a game that commands the spotlight, with a style that has helped her make it all her own.

Her 2015 season exemplifies that duality. She arrived at the All England Club halfway towards the fabled Calendar Year Grand Slam - last achieved by Stefanie Graf in 1988 - but also aiming to secure a personal milestone, a fourth straight major title dating back to the 2014 US Open.

The American first coined the Non-Calendar Year "Serena" Slam over a decade prior, when she made her first march towards the No.1 ranking. She swept through the final three major tournaments of 2002 and the first of 2003, defeating elder sister Venus in all four finals.

Her Grand Slam haul continued to grow, and once she tied Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova's total of 18 in New York, she went on a 2015 tear, winning the Australian Open and Roland Garros back-to-back for the first time in her storied career.

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Graf's shadow loomed large at SW19 that fortnight, for not only was her 1988 season in sight, but so also was her then-Open Era record 22 titles, which Williams trailed only by two.

Still, Serena was focused on her on success, swinging for her second set of four in a row through a dramatic first week that peaked against hometown favorite Heather Watson

View Profile . On the brink of defeat, Williams silenced the crowd and booked a fourth round clash with Venus.

The Williams sisters have played four Wimbledon finals, undoubtedly making their Manic Monday clash unfashionably early, but one Serena survived to battle past Victoria Azarenka

View Profile and Maria Sharapova to reach an astounding eighth Wimbledon final.

Awaiting her in the championship match was Garbiñe Muguruza, the young Spaniard who had shocked Serena in the second round of the 2014 French Open. Williams avenged the loss earlier in the year at the Australian Open, and rallied from a 4-2 deficit to start the final by taking the opening set with a fearsome forehand.

She rode the momentum to 5-1 in the second set, and while Muguruza treated the crowd to a tense ending, Serena stood tall, breaking serve one last time for a 21st Grand Slam victory, and second Serena Slam.

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THE MEANING: Muguruza continued to be a strong rival for Serena, defeating the American in the finals of the French Open the following year. She would do the same to Venus at Wimbledon in 2017, capturing her second Grand Slam title en route to the No.1 ranking later that summer.

With the second Serena Slam under her belt, Williams was in pole position to tie Graf and complete the Calendar Yet set at the US Open. Following a titanic quarterfinal over her sister, rain caused a delay to the semifinals.

When she re-emerged on Saturday afternoon, a mix of nerves and inspired play from Roberta Vinci ended Williams' season, and Grand Slam match winning streak at 33.

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The American was nonetheless lauded for her incredible feat, earning the mantle of Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year, and began 2016 in hot pursuit of a 22nd major title. Appropriately enough, it once again came at Wimbledon, where she knocked out Angelique Kerber - who had upset her at the Australian Open final back in January.

Six months later, Williams broke Graf's record once and for all in Melbourne; in a full-circle moment, it came in a final against Venus, and while she was pregnant with daughter Alexis Olympia. She returned to tennis in early 2018, and has since reached four major finals.

Williams has been tennis' gold standard for over two decades, but prefers not to rest on those laurels as she remains in search of an as-yet elusive all-time record, one that would ostensibly what most already know, that she is, indeed, the greatest of all time.

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