Simona Halep was the decided underdog heading into the Wimbledon women’s singles final. For one thing, her skill set felt suited for any surface other than grass; she boasted of a baseline-centric game that relied on her athleticism and determination to keep balls in play, and until such time when an opportunity to attack presented itself. In contrast, the ultra-fast courts of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club placed a premium on booming serves and powerful groundstrokes — characteristics that her opponent for the Venus Rosewater Dish just so happened to possess in spades.
For Halep, the fact that Serena Williams was on the other side of the net served to highlight the seemingly Sisyphean nature of her task. Not for nothing was her career record against the seven-time Wimbledon champion an anemic one and nine. And it didn’t help that her 2019 slate was a frustrating mix of sterling showings and poor performances. Nonetheless, she was focused and confident of her position, which, if nothing else, eased the pressure on her to win. Precisely because most quarters figured she was destined for a bridesmaid finish, she found herself ready to accept any outcome for as long as she managed to do her best.
As things turned out, Halep’s best was precisely what the capacity crowd at Centre Court witnessed. As opposed to Williams’ typically slow start, her sharpest was evident from the outset. She stayed on her toes all throughout, moving decisively and anticipating the howitzers that came her way with such precision as to set up effective counterpunches. And when the dust cleared, she didn’t just earn the right to hoist the hardware; the manner in which she dispatched a supposedly superior stalwart was seen to cement her claim to a spot in the Hall of Fame.
Indeed, so complete was Halep that she surrendered only two games in each set, and committed a paltry three unforced errors all told. And so one-sided was the match in her favor that it lasted four minutes short of an hour. At the awarding ceremony, Williams couldn’t help but acknowledge her outstanding effort. “She literally played out of her mind,” noted the runner-up for the second straight year. “It was a little bit deer in the headlights for me.” To be sure, a number of factors led to the outcome, and most out of her control. Nonetheless, there can be no discounting those she did, giving her the impetus to play the best match of her life.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
