Wimbledon, England – The regal, manicured lawn of Wimbledon’s Centre Court is a fitting stage for the most storied tournament in tennis, no doubt.
But it is the sounds from the stands, like those heard Saturday, that indicate the quality of the venue is being matched by the quality of play.
So it was Saturday. The tennis tournament richer in history than any other held a final that made it richer still, ending in an epic victory for Venus Williams over Lindsay Davenport, two once-dominant but faltering players who went toe-to-toe in their quest to be Wimbledon champion one more time.
To the hush of nearly 14,000 fans sucking in their breath with each floater headed for the baselines, to the release of that air through wild cheering accompanied by rapturous applause, Williams capped a career comeback with a gutsy match against a gutsy opponent, fighting back for a 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 9-7 victory.
Williams, the No. 14 seed, came back from a set down to win her first major in nearly four years, staring down a championship point to become the second-lowest seed to win the tournament since the Open Era began.
She did it in the longest women’s tournament final on record, a match of 2 hours, 45 minutes. And the three sets had enough drama to fill double that time.
When Davenport hit a forehand into the net to end the championship, the sounds on Centre Court hit their climax, with those fans, aware they had just witnessed a classic, cheering as if begging for an encore set.
Williams was at the center of all of it. After taking the final point and hugging Davenport at the net, she went to her knees, patted the court on which she had just won the championship for the third time, then jumped, laughed and doubled over in joy.
“There were so many times when I was just trying to stay in the match,” Williams said. “Really, I couldn’t have asked to play a better player today to bring my level up.”
Williams won Wimbledon in 2000 and 2001 and was runner-up to sister Serena in 2002 and 2003, but she had been all but written off in this year’s tournament.
Davenport, No. 1 in the world but without a major title since she won the Australian in 2000 and considering retirement only a year ago, was looking for a comeback herself, and through much of the match it appeared she’d find it.
She reached championship point leading 5-4 and receiving serve in the final set, but Williams kept the match alive with a backhand winner, then hit another to win the game for 5-5.
And she was up 5-3 with the serve in the second set, but Williams broke her and pushed the match to a third.
“Every time the chips were down for Venus, she played unbelievable,” Davenport said. “I thought I played really well and I thought I had a lot of chances, and I feel like she never let me take advantage of those chances.”
Williams played her best tennis in two years in her semifinal against the defending champion and tournament favorite Maria Sharapova on Thursday.
And though overall she may not has been as sharp Saturday – she had 10 double faults and a series of unforced errors early in play – she was at her best when it counted most.
“You never know what life will throw at you,” Williams said. “I just expect the sun to come up these days, that’s all.”
That the match would go three sets wouldn’t have been fitting enough. So it went into extra games in the third set.
That climax was the longest third set in a Wimbledon women’s final since Louise Brough beat Margaret Osborne duPont, 10-8, 1-6, 10-8, in 1949, and it was tense from beginning to end.
Both players held to 7-7. One rally lasted 25 strokes, by far the longest of the match.
Williams earned three break points in the 15th game of the set, taking the game with a sizzling forehand to end a 14-shot rally.
She won the first three points of the next game to reach championship point and captured the championship two points later.