against Garbine Muguruza.
At an age when her contemporaries have long
since retired, Williams is playing some of the best tennis of her glittering
career and she can cap her remarkable renaissance on Centre Court this weekend.
Back in the All England Club final after an
eight-year absence, the 37-year-old hopes to become both the oldest Wimbledon
and major winner since the Open era began in 1968.
“There’s times where maybe you aren’t as
relaxed as other moments, but it’s about handling it. I know how to do that a
lot better,” said Venus ahead of her 16th major final.
“For me, it’s just about betting on myself
every time. When I look across the net, I don’t think it’s the right mentality
to believe in that person more than me.”
Earning a sixth Wimbledon title, nine years
after she last lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish, must have seemed like an
impossible dream for Williams when she battled an autoimmune disease that left
her fatigued and threatened to force her out of tennis.
Yet, in the twilight of her career, Venus has
hit a rich vein of form over the last 12 months.
She was Australian Open runner-up in January
to sister Serena, only to have her life thrown into turmoil last month when she
was accidentally involved in a car crash in Florida that led to the death of an
elderly man.
A less strong-willed personality would have
gone into hiding, but Venus, after choking back tears when asked about the
incident at the start of Wimbledon, has taken solace in her tennis.
“There were definitely some issues. There’s
definitely a lot of ups and downs,” she said.
“I just try to hold my head up high, no matter
what is happening in life. In sport especially, you have injuries. You have
illnesses.
“I feel very focused still. I like to take
courage in the fact that I’ve been playing well this tournament.”
Having crushed Johanna Konta with a masterful
semi-final victory that made her the oldest Wimbledon finalist for 23 years,
Venus admitted she is relishing her return to prominence when many had written
her off.
“I’ve played some good tennis in different
points of my life. I think it’s wonderful to have the opportunity to play well
and to be strong,” she said.
“Experience can either work against you or for
you. I like to think it’s working for me.
“This year has been amazing in terms of my
play, playing deep into the big events.
“I’m definitely in the position I want to be
in. It’s a long two weeks. Now I’m knocking on the door for a title. This is
where I want to be.”
– Courage –
With Serena absent from Wimbledon while she
prepares to have her first child later this year, Venus has seized the
opportunity to impose her ferocious will to win on a series of opponents almost
half her age.
Now she will lean on Serena for advice on how
to vanquish former French Open champion Muguruza, who lost to Venus’s sister in
the Wimbledon final two years ago.
“I miss her so much. I try to take the same
courage on the court that she would have,” Venus said.
“I’m sure she’s going to give me hopefully
some things that will make a difference for me in the match.”
Inspired by her decision to hire compatriot
Conchita Martinez as her temporary coach for Wimbledon, Muguruza has enjoyed a
revival of her own over the last fortnight.
Since winning her maiden Grand Slam title at
the French Open last year, Muguruza had endured something of a sophomore slump
as her ranking dropped out of the top 10.
Martinez became the only Spanish woman to win
Wimbledon in 1994 and her soothing words of wisdom have guided Muguruza to her
third Grand Slam final.
Beating in-form Venus in their first meeting
on grass will be her toughest test, but the Spanish 14th seed is convinced she
can emulate her coach’s memorable triumph.
“All the names that I read on the honours
board, I know all of them. For the last years, you see a lot of Williams
surname,” she said.
“So I look forward to putting a Spanish name
back there.”
AFP
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