LONDON – Yes, this will be Serena Williams’ 10th Wimbledon final. Yes, it’s her 30th title match at any major tournament. And, well, sure, she’s widely regarded as not just the best of her era, but any era.
Let others shrug at this latest accomplishment, as if all it signified were merely another chance at another in a long line of trophies. Williams is not shy about saying she, for one, is impressed by this. Rightly so. For it was only about 10 months ago she was having a baby and then dealing with a serious health scare that followed.
Even after all of that, even after more than a year away from competition, even in only the fourth tournament of her comeback, Williams has shown she is still capable of dominance. That might be especially true at the All England Club, where a relatively routine 6-2, 6-4 victory over 13th-seeded Julia Goerges of Germany on Thursday put Williams one win away from an eighth Wimbledon women’s singles championship.
She’s also closing in on her 24th Grand Slam title, which would equal Margaret Court’s all-time record.
“A lot of people were saying, ‘Oh, she should be in the final,'” the 36-year-old Williams said. “For me it’s such a pleasure and a joy because, you know, less than a year ago, I was going through so much stuff.”