Injured Serena Williams Fights for Thrilling Win at Wimbledon
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Jul 2, 2007 | Print
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It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t fast, and it certainly wasn’t easy, but Serena Williams has fought her way into the quarterfinals of Wimbledon with a dramatic 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-2 win over Daniela Hantuchova.
Not many players can come back from collapsing onto the court with a muscle strain, but time and time again, Serena Williams continues to remind us that she is just not any ordinary player.
At 5-5 in the second set against Daniela Hantuchova, Serena suffered a sudden muscle spasm in her left calf. She collapsed onto the court, screaming in pain, as the Tour trainer worked to relieve the bulging cramp, which caused a muscle strain.
Ever the fighter, Serena managed to get back on her feet and win a game to force the tie-break. The agony and tears on her face were clearly evident, but when Serena was only three points away from losing the tie-break, the heavens opened and rain suspended the match, to Serena’s immense benefit.
Once she returned to the court at around 7:30 pm Wimbledon time, she had tape on both calves and wore leggings under her skirt. She was not able to finish the match in the tie-break, which Hantuchova won 7-2.
Serena fought to keep on serve in the deciding set until 3-2, when a netted backhand by Hantuchova gave Serena the upper-hand in the match. She grabbed her first match point at 5-2 on Hantuchova’s serve and after another netted backhand by Hantuchova, raised her arms to the sky in triumph.
At this point, it is anyone’s guess what is going to happen if she has to play the quarterfinal tomorrow against Justine Henin. With the injury Serena sustained, it is doubtful that she will be at her best that soon, especially against a player as steely as Justine.
On the other hand, after watching Serena claw her way to a win today when she knew she couldn’t play her best tennis, it may not be a big surprise if we see Serena Williams hoist her third Wimbledon trophy on Saturday.
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Wilson Spaulding | Jul 3, 2007 | Reply
Absolutely amazing! The Comeback Kid comes back again. If you were watching Serena yesterday and disbelief filled your eyes just imagine what Daniela Hantuchova was seeing and feeling and thinking.
That was one monster cramp (it looked like a small, hard rock under the skin) but Williams, with the timely intrusion of rain aiding and abetting her, persisted. Sure, Henin is ready and waiting now, poised to pounce on the slightest weakness (she’s no Hantuchova) that Williams may show. But you have to believe that Serena will put up a major fight.
Switching gears: If Venus Williams doesn’t get her act together in a big hurry (the win over Morigami was very uneven) Maria Sharapova will have a very easy win over her. But it’s going to be (shaky) big babe tennis, so you gotta love it!