While Novak Djokovic won the gentlemen’s title at Wimbledon, Simona Halep also won her very first Wimbledon title. She did so by crushing tennis legend, Serena Williams, and her bid for a 24th Grand Slam title.
The Romanian stepped onto the Centre Court, and ran after everything that the American had fired at her. Halep won the 6-2 6-2 game through a display of athleticism that spanned 56 minutes.
According to Halep, it was her best match so far. The 27-year-old claimed her second Grand Slam title with this victory, which is an addition to her French Open victory in 2018.
During the interview, Williams admitted that Halep did play out of her mind. While she felt like a “deer in the headlights.” Much like during the previous year, Williams was also defeated by Angeline Kerber, and seemed like she was somewhat weighed down by expectations of the public as well as personally. As a result, she quickly fell 4-0 to Halep.
Halep, on the other hand, looked relaxed and confident. She attacked Williams’ serve and kept rallying long and deep. This then forced Williams to make errors.
“I knew that I have to be aggressive, be 100% for every ball, and that I don’t have to let her come back into the match because she’s so powerful and so strong… She knows how to manage every moment. So I knew that I have to stay there, which I did pretty well today.”
After her defeat, Williams’ wait for winning her first Grand Slam title after becoming a mom is now extended. She said, “When someone plays lights out, there’s really not much you can do. You just have to understand that that was their day today.”