Saturday, July 7, 2012

Williams sisters double delight


What a day it was for Serena Williams!  Whether you are a Serena fan or not, there is a very human element that has to be taken into account here.  With all that she has been through in the past two years since her last Wimbledon title with the freak cut by glass on her foot, which took so long to heal, and then the tremendous scare with the pulmonary embolism in which she feared for her life, to come back and win Wimbledon for her 14th major title is just an incredible story.  Though part of me was definitely cheering for Aga Radwanska, who I have come to really like, I couldn't help but shed a few tears myself at Serena's joy as she appreciated this incredible blessing in her life.

The first set I felt some feelings of definite disappointment and dread for Aga as she struggled so hard to get just one game on the board.  It was with relief and then excitement that I saw her really start to turn things around and make it a match.  While it was obvious Serena was tightening up as the possibility of the title became more of a probability, you could tell Radwanska was also feeling much more comfortable and able to employ more of the crafty play she is known for.  It was great to see her pull out that second set, to make this first grand slam final more of a pleasant memory to look back on, unlike similar ones by, say Vera Zvonerava, which were basically blow-outs.  But in the end Serena was able to bring her power game once again and take home her 5th Wimbledon title, tying her sister Venus.



Speaking of Venus, her sister hasn't been the only one to have health issues.  As everyone knows, Venus was diagnosed with Sjoegren's syndrome last year.  Having rheumatoid arthritis myself, which has similarities to that disease, I can sympathize with what she has had to work through and I applaud her for her tremendous effort and determination.  Though she lost early in singles, she did get her ranking up high enough to reach her goal of playing in the Olympics in three weeks.  I also have to give huge kudos to Serena.  Due to all the rain she has had to play an incredible amount of tennis the last several days trying to catch up with all the doubles matches missed.  She could have pulled out of the doubles and saved herself for the singles.  However, she stuck with it and she had the joy and satisfaction of also getting to see her sister win a Wimbledon title.  Sisterly love to a great degree, I would say.  The hug and obvious happiness they shared at the end was inspiring.

I am waiting with bated breath for tomorrow's men's singles final.  Should be an amazing match with the highest emotion on both sides.  History in the making no matter what the result (though there is only one result that I am looking for).  Hopefully looking forward to doing my happiest post to date tomorrow afternoon.

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