Women's singles final:In the third round of Wimbledon Venus Williams was going out of the tournament. She was 3-5 down in the final set to Akiko Morigami and alarm bells were ringing. Williams could barely hit a ball inside the lines and was screaming at her team up in the player's box as Morigami industriously patted balls back to feed the American's self destruction.
Somewhere in the maelstrom of anxiety and confusion, Williams found her range and her mind and proceeded to win the next four games for 7-5. That is where her Wimbledon began.
"At 3-5 there's nowhere else to go except to win that game. I had to do it," said the player after then moving imperiously through the draw and to her fourth Wimbledon title.
That Marion Bartoli was the recipient of a 6-4, 6-1 whipping caused little surprise.
Bigger, stronger, faster, better forehand, better back hand, better serve, better accuracy and a better big-time temperament conspired with Williams to shape a final that stuttered at times in the first set but rarely strayed away from the inevitable.
Occasionally the Centre Court crowd became eerily silent as if they were watching a felon's final walk to the gallows, not a battle of minds and hearts for the most coveted title in the game. We all knew Williams was going to get there, despite the bizarre 11-minute medical time-out at 3-0 in the second set, during which both players had treatment from the trainer, Williams for a strained adductor muscle and Bartoli for blisters.
The main points of interest lay in what route she might take and how long it would take to arrive. The first set looked too scenic for comfort with a few service exchanges and Bartoli's hustling style occasionally unsettling Williams. When the French player then double faulted for 0-2, the collective groan at her largesse was also a realisation that the 22-year-old could totally implode in what was only her second Centre Court match ever and her first Grand Slam final.
Williams broke her serve again to claim that one before raising the level further in the second set, allowing Bartoli just one game.
"She reached some balls like I never saw anyone reach," said Bartoli afterwards. "She would even hit it harder back to me. She served 120 mph on first serve. Sometimes it was hurting my wrist because the ball was coming so fast. I'm not used to girls hitting the ball like this."
The title also comes with enough ranking points to take Williams into the world's top 20 for the first time in a year and confirms that the problematic wrist that was responsible for her downwards slide has recovered enough to put her back where she belongs in the trophy zone.
Health has been the traditional enemy of both Venus and her sister, Serena, and if Venus remains that way and Serena recovers from the calf and thumb injuries she sustained playing against Daniel Hantchcova in the fourth round, the US Open at the end of August could also be a stage for some family celebration.
"There's a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes," said Venus of her climb back. "Finally got to play in February. It's just been a step-by-step process, getting physically back to where I was, the way I move. I started to realise how I was playing and how much energy and strength it takes to move that way."
The race can begin again between the sisters for the most titles and few would bet against them winning more Grand Slams than they lose. For Venus, too, the injury has not only reminded her of her mortality but has refocused her attention on the winning of titles and even the shaping of tennis history.
Few players since the Open era began in 1968 have won more often at Wimbledon. Williams has joined Billy Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf as a winner of four or more championships. "Most certainly," she replied when asked if she was in a race with her younger sister.
"I mean when it comes to Wimbledon, I do have more. But in the overall count I have a little less, obviously a couple less. We motivate each other to get more.
"When she sees me win here, she's just going to go for it. When I saw her win in Australia, I knew I could do it. We just love each other and inspire each other like that."
That Bartoli's dream ended in the violence of Williams's power hurt. "I'm a competitor and I hate to lose," she said. In tennis terms, though, it was a podium finish and it keeps alive her hopes that one day she can buy the dress, go to the ball and dance with the men's champion.
