Rivals meet again
WIMBLEDON, England – They are career turnaround specialists, often getting ahead at the expense of the other for the last eight-plus years, meeting 26 times around the world.
Venus Williams needed to beat Lindsay Davenport in the final to win her first and second Grand Slam championships, at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2000. Williams represented a significant obstacle for Davenport in the semifinals of the U.S. Open in 1998, en route to Davenport’s first major title.
More recently, Davenport pulled herself from the brink of retirement last summer. One of the biggest building blocks was a July victory over Williams in the Stanford final, the first in seven matches against Williams, and Davenport would regain the No. 1 ranking in October.
Flash ahead to the latest renaissance. Williams is in the final of a Grand Slam for the first time in two years, aiming for her first major victory since the 2001 U.S. Open. There was a palpable buzz on the rain-soaked grounds at the All England Club on Friday about Williams’ dazzling performance in the semifinals Thursday against defending champion Maria Sharapova of Russia.
So who else but Davenport should stand in the way? It’s almost fitting that Davenport is the final obstacle in Williams’ tennis rebirth in today’s Wimbledon final, and, likewise, that Williams remains the last one standing between Davenport’s first Slam title since the 2000 Australian Open.
“We’ve gone through so many transitions from around ‘97 up until now,” Davenport said. “In the beginning, I was always winning, then she was always winning. The last few times, it’s been me.
“But we both have kind of evolved quite at bit and still play these close, crazy matches. They’re always pretty much in the final or semis. We’ve played a lot of tough matches over the years.”
The top-seeded Davenport reached the final in unusual fashion, needing about 3 minutes and seven points on Friday afternoon to get there. Her semifinal against No. 3 Amelie Mauresmo of France was suspended Thursday because of rain with Davenport leading 5-3 in the third set, and Mauresmo serving at 15-0.
They returned to Court 1 on a cloudy day and it turned into a serving contest, albeit a brief one. Mauresmo hit three serves to hold at love. Davenport then got in all of her first serves to hold at love, winning 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-4 when Mauresmo netted a forehand volley on match point.
Davenport said she slept fine but felt the nerves hit once she got up, and Mauresmo alluded to a fitful night of sleep. Though she wore a wrap on her upper right thigh, Davenport said it was a precaution, joking: “I could go run for you.”
The mental challenge was a formidable one, however.
“I’ve had matches stopped overnight, but I don’t think ever in a position of that close to victory, especially in such a big match,” Davenport said. “It’s one thing if you’re in a first or second round.
“I felt like I fought so hard the first two sets. I felt like while I was playing OK, I was at times just playing bad. … Then it was so dark outside. I think, ‘OK, it’s going to rain any moment.’ It was really a mentally tough match for me.”
Davenport has a 14-12 edge against Williams in their career, but Williams has won all three of their meetings at Wimbledon. Of their 26 matches, 11 have been in finals, with Williams winning six of those matches. Davenport has won their last four matches.