Her chase for a place in history lasted for over six months this year and almost that long in 2015. But in the end it took Serena Williams just one hour and 21 minutes to win her seventh Wimbledon title and join Steffi Graf as the record holder for the most Grand Slams won in the professional era.
The world number one, who has been beaten in the Australia and French finals to deny her a place with Graf on 22 Grand Slam wins, beat Germany's Angelique Kerber 7-5 6-3 at a packed Centre Court.
At the end Williams, who would not speak of the magical number 22 for the entire two weeks before the match, fell backwards onto the Wimbledon grass before hugging her opponent.
“It’s been great. I love playing here. Angelique plays great tennis and brings the best out in me,” said Williams. “It’s been incredibly difficult not to think about it. I had a couple of tries this year but it makes the victory even sweeter knowing how hard I worked. Thank you guys for being here for number 22.”
After a troubled first service game from Kerber, where she faced and saved three break points, the first set settled into a routine of the two players holding serve easily. Williams was unafraid to charge the net behind her approaches, a tactic that helped shorten the points.
In the seventh game, Kerber pushed the American’s serve to deuce but nothing came of it, Williams always with a couple of big serves in her locker. They are always there for her in trouble spots and they were there on Saturday on Centre Court.
Kerber was comfortable trading with her opponent from the back court, but a couple of decent serves brought it to 3-3, 4-4 and 5-5 as the set appeared to speed towards a tiebreak.
In the 12th game a few loose deliveries from the German fourth seed opened a door. Williams saw it and earned her fifth break point with a deep cross-court backhand claiming the set.
Evenly balanced all along, in the blink of an aye, Williams had the first half of the final in her pocket, all in a matter of minutes.
The second set brought better tennis from both players with Kerber fighting from the back court with her whipped left-handed forehands sending the number one beyond the tramlines countless times.
But Williams hung tough and threw in five aces in the second set. Finally in the eighth game, she earned her only break point of the set, a wild backhand from the German handing Williams the important service break.
There was no turning then with the 34-year-old serving for the match. Three unreturnable serves and it was hers.
“You really deserved your next title and you are a great champion. You played a great match in the final. Congrats you deserve it,” said Kerber.
Williams also equals Graf in the number of Wimbledon titles she holds although their seven is still two short of Martina Navratilova’s nine wins. But the victory moves her to the point where she can now target Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slams, which were achieved in the amateur days.
The US Open, where Williams has won six times, is her next staging post in that quest.
