Serena Williams is free of the aches and agony that stung her at the start of the season—and that's a painful proposition for opponents.
Continuing her quest to match Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, Williams crushed Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-2, 6-2, in 64 minutes to charge into the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the 14th time in 19 career appearances.
More: Riske Stuns Barty at Wimbledon
"It's just good that I'm not in pain," Williams told the media at Wimbledon. "Doing three hours of treatment after every practice, every match, just to be able to have 50 percent of pain. That was tough.
"Now I'm just feeling so much better. I literally can't even tell you how much better I feel. That's a relief. That's a victory in itself, to know that I'm feeling better no matter what. I'm on the right path. I finally found the solution. I can be strong for the rest of the year."
In her last two wins over 18th-seeded Julia Goerges and the 30th-seeded Suarez Navarro, Williams has permitted just 11 games.
More importantly, she says she's fit and fired up after ankle and knee issues that have limited her to just six tournaments since she fell to Naomi Osaka in the 2018 US Open final. That's been evident in improved court coverage and flexibility.
"The rust definitely wearing off," Williams said. "Most of all I feel confident that I can actually move and I don't have to, like, go for winners so soon because I'm in pain. It's like, Oh, now I can just play my game, hit shots, not have to worry about anything else. It's good when your mind is clear and you can just play."
Twenty years after her Wimbledon debut, Williams says her motivation is strong as ever.
"I'm a really pumped player and of course I still want it or I wouldn't be here," Williams said.
Williams, who raised her Wimbledon record to 96-11, is playing for her eighth title at The Championships. Her road to a fifth Wimbledon final in her last seven appearances at SW19 seemed to get smoother as 55th-ranked American Alison Riske shocked world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty snapping the top-seeded Aussie's 15-match winning streak.
The 11th-seeded Serena has partnered Riske in doubles in the past, but their quarterfinal clash will be their first singles clash.
"She's a great person. She's a fighter on the court," Williams said of Riske. "She's playing really great, especially on the grass. She's attacking that ball really well. She doesn't let anything limit her. It was really fun to play doubles with her.
"We had a good time on the court. Also she was very serious, as was I. We were trying to win our match for the team. It was a good experience."
Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport