- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Somehow, the unfathomable actually happened. Serena Williams lost the Australian Open women’s final. Unfancied seventh seed Angelique Kerber, who very nearly got knocked out in the first round, stunningly won her first grand slam in one of the biggest upsets in tennis history.
The German also assured her compatriot Steffi Graf remains one major ahead of Williams, who is finding number 22 harder than envisioned after winning four consecutive slams until last year’s US Open.
Despite Williams playing so abysmally, continually gifting points to her plucky opponent with a slew of unforced errors, nobody really imagined she would actually lose despite being precariously situated, down 2-5 in the deciding set.
After all, Williams has come back from match point in previous grand slam finals and won. It may be hackneyed but this absolutely rings true with Williams: it’s never over until it’s over. Expectedly, Williams recovered and broke back to seemingly put a pin into Kerber’s title dreams.
At the core of Williams’ overwhelming success throughout the years is her resilience. She continually overcomes adversity and summons her resounding best when the pressure is at its most intensive. That familiar script seemed to be unfolding once again, and poor Kerber was going to be another victim of tennis’ ultimate cyborg.
Astonishingly, the inevitable never happened. Williams was broken in the tenth game to lose just her fifth major final out of 26. The last time Williams lost a grand slam final was at the 2011 US Open final to Sam Stosur – yes, I know, that sure does feel like an eternity ago.
It was the first time Williams had ever lost a major final in three sets, having been undefeated eight times previously when the match went the distance.
Testament to her daunting finals record, you feel Williams is more vulnerable earlier in majors when she is working into form – Williams usually plays very little in the lead-up to slams – and perhaps isn’t quite there mentally. But once she’s in the business end of the tournament, you know she’s focused and locked in.
It made the outcome even more implausible. Undisputedly, it was one of the greatest women’s finals we’ve seen at the Australian Open. But how did the unthinkable happen?
Basically, there are two obvious ways to beat the so-called ‘unbeatable’ phenomenon. There is the go ‘all out’ attack mode, basically conjure amazing winners for the duration. It’s unlikely to come off but you’re hoping to somehow tap into something so magical that it can’t be curtailed.
That template was adopted by a white hot Stan Wawrinka during his astounding upset over Novak Djokovic at the French Open last year, which feels more incredible by the day.
The other methodology is to play slightly conservatively but cunningly and just hope your legendary opponent is having an off day. This is the smarter option against an occasionally temperamental Williams and, wisely, Kerber backed this strategy.
It would be a major disservice and frankly inaccurate to say Williams gifted Kerber the match, but she notably struggled apart from a dominant second set.
Regarded as the greatest women’s server ever, Williams was shaky on serve throughout and it took until midway through the second set to register an ace. Usually her serve is such a strength and gifts her so many cheap points. But she struggled noticeably, never getting into rhythm and, unexpectedly, served several double faults at critical moments with the match in the balance deep in the deciding set.
It was jarring to see Williams start so badly and give Kerber important early momentum in her first grand slam final. Williams was trying to bully Kerber around the court but her lack of poise only resulted in an abundance of mistakes.
Still, the victor deserves the plaudits. Maybe Kerber has truly arrived as a force in women’s tennis. Maybe not. But she’ll be forever etched in folklore for this performance.
Kerber perfected her game plan of not overplaying in a bid to make Williams keep working and forced to hit extra shots. The German’s pace absorption, retrieval skills and early ball striking were startling.
Impressively, considering the situation and being pitted against such a powerhouse, Kerber exuded calmness and her game followed suit. She ensured few mistakes came off her racket but knew that wouldn’t be enough, Kerber played audaciously at opportune moments, including a couple of outrageous drop shots late when the pressure was intensified.
Fronting the spectre of Williams, who exudes so much intimidation with her jutting shoulders and scowl on her face, is daunting and has overwhelmed a bevy of opponents over the years. But Kerber was not overawed and backed herself. It was awe-inspiring to watch.
Kerber’s tears of joy and astonishment as she was trying to compute the gravity of her achievements will be an indelible image from the match.
It will also be hard to forget Williams looking so irritable throughout. In the television broadcast, Kim Clijsters revealed pre-match that Williams had been feeling anxious during the day. Even for such an experienced player like Williams, that wasn’t a particularly earth-shattering revelation but nonetheless the world No.1 did look unsettled from the moment she came onto the court.
She seemed lethargic from the start and her ragged game exacerbated her deteriorating mood. Even early in the game, Williams had to numerously scream “come on” in a desperate bid to shake from her stupor.
She was manically screaming in a bid to not only fire herself up but also rattle Kerber. It seemed slightly contrived and, ultimately, didn’t work on either front.
When Williams wildly missed a drive volley in the first set, she gestured in disbelief to her box. It was like the opposite of Michael Jordan’s famous shrug in the 1992 Finals.
There are times when Williams appears so disenchanted that her game shockingly spirals into meltdown. Usually she regroups in time but on this occasion it was not enough.
It was a result that defied logic but once again the beauty of sport and why we keep watching was reinforced. Anything really is possible.
Just ask Angelique Kerber.
Whether it’s aces or races, try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp for great odds and a great punting experience. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.