Serena Williams cruises to Wimbledon final on the hunt for historic Grand Slam win
Serena Williams cruised her way to the Wimbledon finals in a semifinal match that lasted just under an hour.
In a post-match interview on ESPN, the tennis icon credited her dominant performances in recent matches to feeling good after struggling through an injury this spring.
Now, she said, "I can do what I do best."
"I love what I do and I'm still pretty good at what I do, I guess," Williams added.
Williams is set to face Simona Halep of Romania in the Wimbledon final on Saturday, starting at 9 a.m. ET. It will be Williams' 32nd grand slam final appearance and 11th Wimbledon final.
Should she win, she will be making history. A 24th Grand Slam title would match Margaret Court's all-time record.
Williams has been on the prowl for the historic title since the 2017 Australian Open, which she won shortly after learning she was pregnant.
This will be her third Grand Slam final appearance since she returned to courts from giving birth.
The Wimbledon final comes shortly after Harper's Bazaar published an essay by Williams in which she detailed her feelings after last year's contentious U.S. Open final against Naomi Osaka, which she said led her to seek therapy.
"As for me, I felt defeated and disrespected by a sport that I love — one that I had dedicated my life to and that my family truly changed, not because we were welcomed, but because we wouldn't stop winning," she wrote.
The 37-year-old American made her way to the Wimbledon final by beating Czech player Barbora Strýcová in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, including four aces.
Her competition, Halep, similarly dominated her way to the final, beating Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in straight sets 6-1, 6-3. Halep had previously beaten teen Wimbledon phenom Coco Gauff in straight sets.
The two have played each other several times, most recently in January at the Australian Open, where Williams beat Halep 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
"She's tough," Williams said in the post-match interview, acknowledging her strong performance against Svitolina earlier Thursday and noting they "always have tough matches" when they face each other.
"I look forward to it," Williams said.
