TENNIS:NERVES CAN paralyse or provide the adrenaline surge to redefine the boundary of expectation. Agnieszka Radwanska will look to the latter when she steps on Centre Court today to take on the four-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams in the women's singles final.
The 23-year-old Pole, playing her first Grand Slam final, is overmatched in virtually every facet of the game and faces an opponent who has cut a swathe through the elite players en route to the final.
And if you throw in the fact she is suffering from an “upper respiratory illness” that she blames on the glorious British summer weather, it puts her bid to take the world number one spot with a victory in serious doubt.
Williams has put illness and injury behind her and has bludgeoned her way through the draw, behind a serve that has already racked up 85 aces.
There have been aberrations here and there along the way to today’s final but she hasn’t wavered when the match has been on the line, finding the way to win. The serve has been the primary catalyst in chasing a 14th Grand Slam and a fifth singles title at the All England club.
She acknowledged: “The older I get, the better I serve. I like to hit aces but I have done that my whole career. I don’t know how it’s got better. It’s not like I go home and I work on baskets and baskets of serves. Maybe it’s a natural shot for me.”
When asked how she would describe it as a weapon, the reply was succinct: “mean”.
Radwanska is going to have to find a way to get her racquet on the ball, something she does well in general play in not making many unforced errors.
She has good hands, a delicate touch and a fine appreciation of angles but that won’t suffice if Williams gets on the front foot, starts taking the ball early and pounding the corners. It’s like turning up to the OK Corral with a knife. Radwanska will have to be offensively constructive, clever in her choice of angles and also offer variety in pace; that’s just to be competitive.
Williams complained that her intensity and concentration has wavered in a couple of her matches but it’s unlikely she’ll repeat that today. If she brings her game then the only point left to negotiate is the margin of victory.
Yesterday’s Results
Men’s Singles Semi-finals – (4) Andy Murray (Scot) beat 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Fra) 6-3 6-4 3-6 7-5; (3) Roger Federer (Swi) beat (1) Novak Djokovic (Ser) 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3.
Men’s Doubles Semi-final – Jonathan Marray )Bri) and Frederik Nielsen (Den) beat (2) Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (US) 6-4 7-6(9) 6-7(4) 7-6(5).
Women’s Doubles Semi-finals – (6) Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka
(Cze) beat Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone (Ita) 2-6 6-3 6-4; Serena Williams and Venus Williams (US) beat
(1) Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond (US) 2-6 6-1 6-2.
Today – Centre Court
Women’s Singles Final (2pm) – (3) Agnieszka Radwanska (Pol) v (6) Serena Williams (US).
