WIMBLEDON, England — More than once during the past fortnight, Serena Williams has won an important point at Wimbledon and then returned to the baseline, her clenched fist leading the way.
The ferocity of the gesture is understandable, given the obstacles she has beaten back in the past couple of years.
A succession of health issues led to a long layoff that forced Williams to mount a comeback, and she’ll try to cap it Saturday when she meets Agnieszka Radwanska, the first Polish player to reach a Grand Slam final since 1939.
Williams seeks her 14th major title, and would tie her sister Venus with a fifth win at Wimbledon. The sisters beat the American duo of Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 on Friday to reach the women’s doubles final.
“I’m so happy to be playing,” Serena said. “I’ve been through so much in the past year or two years, it has been unbelievable.”
This week Radwanska has been ailing herself, battling an upper respiratory illness that makes it difficult to speak and forced her to cancel a news conference Friday.
“I will do whatever it takes to make sure I’m ready to play the best I can,” she said in a statement.
Shortly after Williams’ Wimbledon final win in 2010, she cut her feet on glass at a restaurant, required two operations and spent more time in the hospital because of blood clots.
“I really thought Serena was going to die,” said her father, Richard Williams. “This is the most important tournament that Serena would ever win … because Serena didn’t think she’d ever play tennis again. She told me so.”
