By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, July 6, 2019
Serena Williams did not face a break point sweeping Julia Goerges to storm into the Wimbledon round of 16 for the 16th time. Is she ready for No. 1 Ash Barty?
Photo credit: Getty
Rhythmically swinging her right arm during the coin toss, Serena Williams’ shadow swings were a prelude to an impending serving storm.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion thundered through Wimbledon week one with command.
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Williams served 70 percent, smacked seven aces and did not face a break point powering past Julia Georges, 6-3, 6-4, into her Wimbledon round of 16 for the 11th time in her last 12 appearances.
Continuing her historic march toward a 24th major championship to match Margaret Court’s all-time Grand Slam record, Williams elevated her game moving one win from a potential showdown with world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty.
Serena struck with conviction scoring her 23rd win in her last 24 Wimbledon matches.
Our Top 5 Takeaways from Williams’ Wimbledon week one performance.
1. Rising Up
In a rematch of the 2018 Wimbledon semifinal, Serena summoned her familiar force-of-nature first strike explosiveness playing her best major match of the year defeating Georges for the fifth time in as many meetings.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion has seen several former champions—sister Venus, defending champion Angelique Kerber, Garbine Muguruza and Maria Sharapova—all fall before the third round and former world No. 1 and Serena-nemesis Naomi Osaka bow in her opener.
While several Grand Slam champions have already exited the grass stage, Serena ended week one with a bang playing dynamic combinations with point-ending intent. Williams is by far the most experienced woman still standing: She raised her Wimbledon record to 95-11, including 78 wins in straight sets.
2. Serve Statement
The grass game is predicated on holding serve.
Serving with relaxed intensity, Williams was dotting all corners of the box and more ambitious on second serve winning 12 of 17-second-serve points vs. the 18th-seeded German.
Through three rounds, Williams has averaged 108 mph on her first serve, unleashing a 122 mph serve in the opening round. More importantly, she’s serving with greater precision now than she did earlier in the year when knee and ankle issues seemed to limit her leg thrust on serve a bit.
Establishing the slider serve on the deuce side, particularly in the last two rounds, is a good sign as Williams can bend sub-95 mph serves short in the box to send the returner chasing in the alley. Then she can bring the heat down the middle off the same toss creating an unsettling assignment for returners. The 1998 Wimbledon mixed doubles champion partnering Max Mirnyi, Williams was scheduled to make her 2019 mixed doubles debut alongside fellow former No. 1 Andy Murray later today.
While Serena said she hopes to gain insight from Murray’s mental game, the repetition she’ll gain on serve and return playing mixed should help her sustain the groove she showed today.
3. Efficient Work Week
Through three rounds, Williams has won six of seven sets and hasn’t spent more than 95 minutes on the court in any match.
The 37-year-old American looked sloppy at times hitting five double faults and 26 unforced errors in a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over 18-year-old Slovenian Kaja Juvan in round two.
Contesting her 19th career Wimbledon, Serena cleaned up her game considerably against Goerges, setting herself up to go deep in the second week. Williams says it's all about finding the right emotional balance between sustaining calm and infusing intensity into her game.
"I think I play pretty good when I'm calm, but also super intense, just finding the balance in between there," Williams said. "So it's a hard balance to find because sometimes when I'm too calm, I don't have enough energy. Still trying to find that balance."
4. Faster First Step
At times, Serena looked every bit of her 37 years in her Wimbledon opener, which was her first match since falling to Sofia Kenin at Roland Garros in May. While her movement was tentative at times at the star of the week, Williams’ anticipation was sharper and first step faster.
She recognized mid-court opportunities, moved up quickly to put away forehands and generally moved and played with more urgency.
That’s important because Williams will face Spanish spin doctor Carla Suarez Navarro next. The 11th-seeded American must be quick off the mark as Suarez Navarro will mix in the low slice to try to make Williams dig replies off the turf.
5. Best vs. Best
Williams carries a 13-2 Wimbledon fourth-round record into her meeting with Suarez Navarro.
The former No. 1 has punished Suarez Navarro sweeping all 12 sets they’ve played, dispensing five bagels and plenty of nightmares to the Spaniard in that span.
World No. 1 Barty swept Harriet Dart for her 15th straight win today and faces flat-hitting American Alison Riske in the fourth round. If both Barty and Williams prevail, it would create a blockbuster quarterfinal between the world’s best player and the best of all time.
If Williams is a force of nature, she recognizes Barty as a force to be reckoned with.
"I've seen her play a lot recently, too," Williams said of Barty. "I've always from the day I played her in Australia had a tremendous amount of respect for her game. I just thought she's just a beautiful player.
"She has great technique. I love that. I'm really a technical player. I like when people, you know, have a beautiful game and they do the right techniques. It's so right up my alley. Like I always say, she's just someone in the locker room that you just always root for. But in general I have been watching her game because I know that she's a force to be reckoned with. Yeah, so I've been watching a lot."