Serena Williams has secured her 19th Grand Slam title after triumphing over Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final.
She started extremely well by winning the first set 6-3, but Sharapova mounted a fightback in the second set, although Williams ultimately held on to secure a 7-6 (7-5) win that ultimately gave her the triumph.
The victory means that Serena Williams is now past Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert all time Grand Slam-winning title table and she is just three titles away from Steffi Graf.
“I have to congratulate Maria, she played a wonderful match and she really pushed me. She played so well and gave me a great final not only for the fans, but for women’s tennis. I’m really honoured to play her in the final,” she said.
“Growing up I wasn’t the richest, but I had a rich family in spirit and support. Standing here with 19 championships is something I never thought would happen. I went on court with a ball, a racquet and hope, that’s all I had.
“And it’s an inspiration for you guys who want to be the best – you can be, never give up and you don’t know who you can inspire. I’m so honoured to be here standing with my 19th title – I’m just so excited.”
Meanwhile, Sharapova was graceful in defeat, and she sang praises of her rival, claiming that it’s an honour to play against her in the final.
“First of all I want to congratulate Serena on creating history and playing some of her best tennis. It’s an honour to play against her,” Sharapova said.
“I’ve not beaten her for a long time, but I love every time I play her as she is the best and you want to play against the best.
“It has been a long couple of weeks. I was almost down and out in the second round and gave myself a second life in the tournament. It was not enough today, but I gave it everything. I love playing in the Rod Laver Arena, I’ve had some of my best memories and toughest losses, but that’s the life of a tennis player.”
Other posts by Keeshaanan Sundaresan
