Williams has no plans to retire

Originally published on 15/07/17 00:00

The seven-time Grand Slam champion met her match against an inspired Garbine Muguruza, seeing two set points come and go before the Spaniard surged to a 7-5 6-0 victory.

But the 37-year-old confirmed she has no designs on slowing down after reaching her second Grand Slam final of 2017.

“I'm in good form,” said Williams, who also reached the Australian Open final in January. “I've been in a position a lot of times this year to contend for big titles. That's the kind of position I want to keep putting myself in. It's just about getting over the line. I believe I can do that.”

Williams’ first Wimbledon final in eight years was a tense, tight affair for the first 10 games, the five-time champion going toe-to-toe with the Spaniard and holding two set points. But Muguruza’s escape sparked a nine-game streak that brought her a second Grand Slam title – her first title of any kind since winning at Roland Garros.

“There's always something to learn from matches that you win and the ones that you don't win,” Williams said. “So there's definitely something for me to learn from this. But at the same time looking back, it's always about looking forward, too.”

Williams paid the price for 25 unforced errors – more than double those of Muguruza – and five double faults, having reached the final on the back of some phenomenal serving.

“She hit some great passing shots that definitely opened the gap up a lot more and gave her some more opportunities,” Williams said. “Just credit to her for forcing the issue there.

“There's errors, and you can't make them,” she added. “You can't make them. I went for some big shots and they didn't land. Probably have to make less errors.”

At 37, Williams was the oldest Wimbledon finalist since Martina Navratilova, who coincidentally lost to Muguruza’s stand-in coach Conchita Martinez in 1994, also at the age of 37. But the seven-time Grand Slam champion is convinced she has more title-winning tennis in her before she hangs up her racket. On the basis of her Wimbledon performance, her confidence is fully justified.

“This is where you want to be,” said Williams, who last year spoke of her desire to play at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. “I like to win. I don't want to just get to a final. It's just about playing a little better.”

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