Wimbledon 2010: Serena Williams aiming for her fourth crown against Vera Zvonareva
The day has finally arrived when the only two women left in the draw will battle it out on the lush green lawns of SW19 for a chance to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish. Defending champion Serena Williams will be looking to increase her tally of Wimbledon titles to four whereas Vera Zvonareva is on the quest for her maiden singles grand slam title. Many pundits had expected a tussle between the Williams sisters for the crown or the appearance of one of the Belgian comeback queens in the finals. However, Russia’s Vera Zvonareva shocked the tennis world by defying all odds by making it thus far. Vera has left all the competition behind and is out to prove to the world that she is not just a one hit wonder and has it in her to become the next queen of Wimbledon.
The year 2010 has a lot at stake for the ladies, because for the first time in the history of Wimbledon, the prize money has reached the seven figure mark. Each woman will have their sights set on the one million pounds that is on offer to the victor. The Williams sisters have been the dominant force at the All England Club over the past decade. In the past ten years, both sisters have won a combined eight Wimbledon titles. The names of Venus and Serena are the most common sight on the Rosewater Dish ever since the onset of the millennium. With the exit of Venus Williams in the quarterfinals, Serena will be looking to continue the legacy of her supremacy on grass. Other than the prestige associated with the win, it will be the stamp of dominance that would prod Serena to win the crown.
Looking at their past meetings, it definitely looks ominous for Zvonareva. Out of the six times that they have played together, Zvonareva has only won once. However, the worst part is that the two times they have played each other in a major grand slam, in France and the United States, Serena has come out on top with ease. Zvonareva would be looking to change the pages of history, whereas Serena would want a repeat of the past matches.
Going into the final, serving correctly will be the key to win the match. Serena has been very strong in that area, smashing eighty aces throughout the tournament. This is the highest number of aces ever served by a woman at Wimbledon. In fact, she broke her own past record of seventy two aces. Serena has only lost three service games in the championship thus far. As a result, Zvonareva needs to improve her serve as she is far behind in the aces department. A mere twenty aces reminded her of the long road ahead of her. Zvonareva knows that Serena has a very strong and accurate serve. This would be her weapon of choice and if Zvonareva is to have a glimmer of hope it would be in the shape of sharpening her own serve and learning how to read Serena’s. But to Zvonareva’s credit, her return of serve throughout the tournament has been spectacular. On her opponent’s first serves, Zvonareva has won 98 points in total. Despite all of Serena’s strengths, Zvonareva is pretty confident that if she is to play her best tennis match ever, she would be able to snatch the title from under Serena’s nose.
To Zvonareva’s advantage is also the fact that she along with her doubles partner Elena Vesnina eliminated the Williams sisters out of the semi-finals. While she may be riding on an air of confidence going into the final, Serena may go out on Centre Court looking to avenge her doubles defeat. But doubles is a different ballgame altogether. Both players have the capability and skills to give each other a lot of trouble during the match. Serena too doesn’t feel that she has an all-out chance against the Russian as she believes the match could go in any direction.
Looking at the two women, Serena will be looking for her thirteenth grand slam title while Zvonareva will be looking to make history by becoming the next Russian after Maria Sharapova to take the title home. All in all, it would be a treat to watch when these two women battle it out under the sunlight at Centre Court
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