PHOTO/ Serena wins fifth, Federer seventh Wimbledon

Wimbledon this year was a triumph for the old hands as Serena Williams won her fifth and Roger Federer his record-tying seventh Wimbledon trophy.

After dropping in the rankings to 175 last year, missing ten months of tennis for surgery and a pulmonary embolism, and losing the French Open in the first round, Williams beat her critics and returned to the top. She did so by beating 23 year old Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1, 5-7, 6-2. It was Radwanska’s first trip to the finals. Williams, instead, has won 14 Grand Slam titles.

Federer has also had a rocky time recently and it had been nearly three years since his last major win. He returned to number one with his 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 win over Andy Murray, who was attempting to be the first Brit to win the tournament since 1936. With his seventh victory, Federer tied Pete Sampras’ record of Wimbledon wins, and with his return to the number one ranking, also Sampras’ record of weeks at the top of the rankings, 286. Federer is also one of only a few men in their 30s to ever be ranked number one. This was his 17^th Grand Slam victory.

The men’s final game was highly anticipated and fans flocked to watch it on huge screens outside the court, some even camping out for a good place. Brits everywhere hoped to finally welcome a home court winner, and the boxes were full of fans including David Beckham, Kate Middleton and David Cameron. Though Murray began dominating the match, and gave Federer a very difficult time in the second set, after the roof closed for the rain, Federer was completely dominating. 

In the woman’s final, Serena started off on fire and it looked like the match would be over in no time, but, after a rain delay, Radwanska battled back and the match was open. Serena and her 120 mile-per-hour serve proved too much for the Pole in the third set. Williams served 17 aces in the match, and a record 105 in the tournament. She is now ranked number 4 in the world, with Radwanska number 2, behind Maria Sharapova. The Williams sisters also won the women’s doubles tournament.

Both Federer and Williams are now favorites for the Olympic gold in a few weeks. The Olympics will be held at Wimbledon.


See photos of the victories of Serena Williams and Roger Federer starting on the next page.