Serena Williams receives the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen trophy after her victory over Lucie Safarova in the French Open final in Paris
Beyond the health mysteries and swearing controversies it is impossible to argue with the achievements of the extraordinary Serena Williams.
Surfing
on a tide of industrial language and self-recrimination, she spurred herself on
to fight off the brave challenge of Lucie Safarova and claim the French Open
title with a 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-2 victory, her 20th Grand Slam win.
Repeatedly
dropping the F-bomb, admittedly in her own direction, she came back from 2-0
down in the deciding set to win for the third time at Roland Garros.
Williams took the trophy with her to in front of the Eiffel Tower later on Saturday evening to pose with the silverware
Williams claimed her 20th Grand Slam singles title with her win over Safarova in the French capital
Williams inspects the latest addition to her extensive trophy collection as she claimed the French Open title for the third time
Serena Williams celebrates after winning the French Open final, the 20th Grand Slam singles title of her career
Williams celebrates after winning a point during the final at Roland Garros. The American won 6-3 6-7 (2/7) 6-2 in just over two hours
Williams celebrates after seeing another point go in her favour during the opening set
Never
before has she taken such a scenic route to her ultimate destination. This was
the fifth time in seven matches that she needed to come from behind, dogged by
health problems that nobody quite knew the extent of.
Not until
after the fifth game of the deciding set did French umpire Emmanuel Joseph give
her a code violation for her audible obscenities, but then it was not the first
time we have seen top players treated leniently in the final here.
Twelve
months ago Kader Nouni spent more than two hours ignoring Maria Sharapova’s
repeated stalling of Simona Halep before giving her a warning, and there was
something of a parallel.
Williams stretches to play a backhand during the first set of the final in Paris. The 33-year-old soon stamped her authority on the contest
Williams uses a towel packed with ice to cool down during a break between games as temperatures soared in the French capital
Safarova reflects on a lost point during the opening set of the contest at Roland Garros
The Czech player rallied during the second set, breaking Williams on two occasions to give herself hope of a surprise victory
Williams, who had previously claimed the French Open title in 2002 and 2013, celebrates with a clenched fist after securing a point
Czech Safarova, in her first French Open final, slides to return the ball in the corner of the court
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