Wimbledon 2018: Despite final loss, Serena Williams’ comeback chapter promises to be another historic ride

It wasn’t quite the fairytale ending the tennis world was looking for, but Serena Williams’ return was one heck of a story this Wimbledon fortnight.

Forever the trailblazer, this time all eyes were on Williams, or Mrs Williams as Wimbledon liked to call her, as she sought to become only the fourth ‘mother’ to win a Grand Slam. The 36-year-old American was also aiming to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 singles Grand Slam victories. And while Williams championed the cause of working mother through the tournament, winning it proved one step too far even for the game’s toughest competitor.

An off-colour Williams struggled to find her range against Angelique Kerber on Saturday and went down 3-6, 3-6 in only 65 minutes. Kerber, who had lost out to the American at the Wimbledon final two years ago, came in with a definite game plan — of keeping Williams on the move and out of her hitting zone—and executed it without nerves.

“First I have to say Serena, you’re a great person and a champion. Coming back, you’re such an inspiration for everyone,” Kerber said at the trophy presentation. “I knew I had to play my best tennis against Serena. It’s my second chance (in the final). I’m the next German after Steffi (Graf, in 1996) to win, it’s amazing. “

This was Kerber 2.0. Having put the horror 2017 after her, the German has tightened her defences further and was moving incredibly well on the court. No one had been able to test or tug Williams around the court like Kerber did in the final, and she got the ultimate reward for it. Playing with unflappable precision, Kerber made only five unforced errors to Williams’s 24 — which eventually undid her 21 winners.

“For all the mums out there, I was playing for you today, I tried,” Williams said. “Angelique played out of her mind. She’s an incredible person and a really good friend so I’m really happy for her.”

As competitive as Williams had been on court during her comeback, she happily joined in Kerber’s Wimbledon coronation in front of British and tennis royalty. It was, after all, only the fourth tournament back for Williams, who gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia in September, and the final was only her 14th match since return.

The American has earlier spoken of going into every match with the pressure of being the favourite. And with so much history, yet again, on the line a lot was expected her even at this year’s Wimbledon, though she was ranked 181 in the world and seeded 25, which is a serious downgrade for the seven-time champion. But having returned to the tour after a 14-month hiatus, and with a baby daughter in tow, Williams could ease into things without raising too many eyebrows.

Williams traded in her bold black cat suit at the French Open for a demure all-white full-sleeved dress at Wimbledon. But there was nothing demure about her game, as she sought to make up for lost time on the tour. She started moving better with each match on the grasscourts she has so often owned. Even when she found herself off-pace, Williams’ power and accuracy overwhelmed her opponents. She had lost only one set en route the final — against Italy’s Camila Giorgi in the quarters. Her serve is still a weapon — she hit 48 aces over the seven rounds at Wimbledon, but only four in the final.

“What has impressed me most of all about Serena’s game this fortnight has been her consistency,” Martina Navratilova wrote on the WTA website on the eve of the final. “She has improved her groundstroke game tremendously and is moving as well as ever. Everything else is pretty much the same as before she became a mother but Williams has cut down on the unforced errors. She’s got more shape on the ball and she has been really great at picking her time to go for the bigger shot. She’s really cleaned up her game and there were so few errors in her semi-final. Serena used to give her opponents cheap points here and there but does not do that anymore.”

The American could not quite find that consistency against Kerber, but she made a strong comeback statement with a run to the final. She will get fitter as the season wears on and will fill in whatever little gaps remain in her game still. More importantly, Williams is at that stage of her career, and life, where she doesn’t need to win to prove anything to anyone but still likes the thrill of it. And Williams knows, as do her rivals, that when at full throttle she is near impossible to beat.

“It was such an amazing tournament for me,” said Williams, who will rise to No 28 in the rankings on Monday. I didn’t know a couple of months ago where I was, and so these two weeks have showed me I can really compete and be a contender to win Grand Slams. This is literally just the beginning. I took a giant step at Wimbledon but my journey has just begun.”

This new Williams chapter promises to be another historic ride.