WOMEN’S FINAL: [1] Serena Williams (USA) vs. [7] Angelique Kerber (GER)
Pressure is no longer a privilege for Williams. This is the second consecutive Major that the pressure got to Williams and she lost a match she should have won. No disrespect to Kerber; however, Williams was so tense she could barely get the ball in play. I do not think that Williams is a robot; however, we know that she expects to win every time she steps on court. As a result, we have grown accustomed to Williams winning. I honestly did not expect her to lose to Kerber, especially after she demolished the field en route to the final. Upon reflection, I realized that I am also not as surprised as I thought I would be that she lost the match.
Williams once a dominant force at closing out matches has become vulnerable in the latter stages of Majors. A result of the internal/external pressure for her to win the Majors and break the record. Now, not only did she not win number 22, she will not be able to contest the Golden Slam. That is the reason I feel so disappointed for Williams, because the person who stepped on court today to compete against Kerber was not the player that demolished Maria Sharapova in the second set. Still, I must extend congratulations to Kerber on winning her first Major. She still had to play well enough to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. This lost will be a tough one for Williams to get over. I hope she can find a way to handle the pressure better going forward because it would be a shame if she cannot break the record and get to number 25, when she is such a gifted player.
