Her game in high gear, history in the offing, Serena Williams is perfectly content to let everyone else talk about what a victory in the Wimbledon final would mean.
A “Serena Slam” of four consecutive major titles. The third leg of a calendar-year Grand Slam. A 21st major singles trophy, one short of the Open-era record.
For now, the No. 1 seed is keeping her thoughts to herself, declaring she will not entertain questions about those topics, even after easily dismissing fourth seed Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-4 in the semi-finals at the All England Lawn Tennis Club on Thursday to close in on the milestones.
Photo: AFP
“I don’t want the pressure of that and I’m not thinking of that. When you talk about it every time, you can’t help but think about it,” Williams said. “It’s been OK just to free my brain from that.”
Whatever works.
Clearly, Williams is doing plenty right at the moment. Particularly against Sharapova, who she has beaten 17 times in a row.
Photo: AFP
Williams hit 13 aces, reaching 198kph. Fewer than half her serves were put in play. She never faced a break point and was pushed to deuce just once on her serve. She had a 29-9 edge in winners.
In sum, Williams made Sharapova look like some sort of middle-of-the-pack wannabe, rather than the five-time major champion, career Grand Slam owner and former world No. 1 that she is.
“Nothing to do with Sharapova,” Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. Said. “She does this to most of the top 10 players. It’s true. She’s dominating the game for a long time.”
Photo: AFP
Williams beat her sister Venus in the fourth round and another former world No. 1 and multiple major winner, Victoria Azarenka, in the quarter-finals.
Today, with so much at stake, Williams faces 20th seed Garbine Muguruza of Spain, who advanced to her first Grand Slam final by eliminating 13th seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
“If you want to win a Grand Slam, when you dream, you say: ‘I want Serena in the final,’” 21-year-old Muguruza said. “She’s like one of the best players in all these years.”
One of?
Five women have won four consecutive Grand Slam tournaments and Williams is already among that group, having done it from 2002 to 2003. Only three have pulled off a true Grand Slam, winning all four majors in a single season — Steffi Graf was the last in 1988.
If Williams can beat Muguruza, the 33-year-old American would head to the US Open next month with a shot at that feat.
Under a cloudless sky on Centre Court on Thursday, it was quickly clear Williams’ semi-final would not last long. At age 17, Sharapova beat Williams twice in 2004, including in the Wimbledon final, but she has not defeated her since.
In the opening game, Sharapova double-faulted three times and got broken.
More ominously, the first four points that lasted at least six strokes ended with errors by Sharapova.
If she could not serve well and could not stay with Williams once the ball was in play, Sharapova was in trouble.
Asked what she needs to do to be competitive against Williams, Sharapova responded: “A lot more than I’m doing.”
Radwanska, the runner-up to five-time Wimbledon champion Williams in 2012, used a six-game run to make things close against the hard-hitting Muguruza, but a pivotal moment came with Muguruza two points from victory, serving at 5-3, deuce. A backhand from Muguruza landed near the baseline and after Radwanska hit the ball, she stopped playing and lifted her racket to indicate she wanted to challenge the call — at the same time that Muguruza was missing a forehand.
“Wasn’t really a good decision,” Radwanska said.
Muguruza’s miscue would have given Radwanska a break point. Instead, the replay review showed Muguruza’s backhand caught the edge of the baseline — giving her match point, which she converted.
When it ended, Muguruza dropped her racket and fell onto the court on her stomach.
As big a deal as the win was — “a present after the hard work,” Muguruza called it — she wants the title, of course.
Here is the one element that might give Muguruza a hint of hope: In the French Open’s second round last year she stunned Williams 6-2, 6-2, the most lopsided loss in Williams’ 318-match Grand Slam career.
“She made me improve,” said Williams, who beat Muguruza at this year’s Australian Open. “So she has me on my toes.”
That is generally bad news for Williams’ foes.
Just ask Sharapova.
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