The writing was on the wall, but Angelique Kerber couldn't believe the result.
"No way," Kerber said watching her name added to the AELTC's wall of champions following her stunning 6-3, 6-3, conquest of Serena Williams to capture her first Wimbledon championship.
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Playing near-immaculate tennis, Kerber committed just five unforced errors compared to 24 for her opponent and broke serve four times carving up the seven-time Wimbledon champion in just 65 minutes.
The 30-year-old Kerber won the toss, elected to receive and broke Williams in the opening game. She never looked back becoming the first German woman since Steffi Graf in 1996 to win Wimbledon.
"I was always dreaming for this moment and it came true," Kerber told ESPN's Tom Rinaldi afterward. "And I was putting so much work on court and everybody was supporting me my whole life. Without them, I couldn't play my best tennis today. That's a huge thing for me."
The 11th-seeded German claimed her third career Grand Slam championship and she's defeated 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena in winning two of her three major finals. Kerber can complete the career Grand Slam by winning Roland Garros, the only major title missing from her esteemed collection.
Following her victory over Karolina Pliskova in the 2016 US Open final, Kerber finished the 2016 season ranked No. 1.
The left-hander struggled through a horrid 2017, reaching just one final and sputtering through a four-match losing streak to end the 2017 season ranked No. 21.
In retrospect, Kerber said the lessons learned last season propelled her to her professional peak today.
"I think without 2017 I would not be here," Kerber said. "I think I learned a lot from last year and I think I showed everybody I came back.
"I learned that I have to practice taking care of me taking some time off [and] it is a game and I love the game and I was trying to enjoy this year every moment on court and I think this is what I learned."
Photo credit: Rob Newall/CameraSport