2015 Wimbledon Women’s Singles Final Preview: Serena vs. Muguruza
The Wimbledon women’s singles final will take place Saturday, as world number one Serena Williams looks to complete the “Serena Slam” when she battles with 20th-seeded Spaniard Garbine Muguruza, who is playing in her first ever Grand Slam final.
Serena enters the match with a 2-1 record against Muguruza, but that one loss came at last year’s French Open, a 6-2, 6-2 victory for the Spaniard which was the worst ever Grand Slam defeat for Serena. But Serena has played with an edge this year and is one win away from completing the “Serena Slam” for the second time in her career.
Muguruza took out 13th-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals, but will face a much different player in Serena in the finals. Radwanska’s game isn’t based on power, she uses ground strokes and accuracy to beat her opponents.
Serena’s game relies a lot on power and has, by far, the best serve in women’s tennis today, maybe ever, so Muguruza will need to adjust her game plan to combat the speed and veracity of Serena’s game. Muguruza herself hits the ball with a lot of power, so there probably won’t be a ton of long rallies, but a lot of winners (despite Muguruza being involved in the two longest rallies at Wimbledon this year).
A huge factor in the match will be how Muguruza handles the moment. Playing in a Wimbledon final is a huge spectacle and carries with it a lot of pressure. If she can stay within herself and not get overwhelmed by the situation, she will put herself in a position to compete with the world number one.
We will see if Muguruza is able to topple Serena. The American seems to raise her level of play in the biggest of matches, so Muguruza will need to play a near flawless game to shock the tennis world.
Here are some numbers to consider leading up to Saturday’s final:
â–şSerena is 20-4 all-time in Grand Slam finals, her most recent loss in 2011 to Sam Stosur at the U.S. Open.
â–şIf Muguruza wins, she will become the second lowest-seed to win Wimbledon. The lowest-seeded winner ever was Venus Williams, a 23rd seed in 2007.
â–şIf Serena wins, she will become the oldest Grand Slam winner in the Open Era at the age of 33. Muguruza was five-years-old when Serena won her maiden Grand Slam at the 1999 U.S. Open.
