the podium -- it feels really good, he said.This event I was so mo

LONDON -- The score was 3-3 in the second set of the Wimbledon final when Serena Williams ended yet another fierce rally with a backhand that sailed wide of the line. Angelique Kerber had her first break point of the match.It seemed a monumental achievement. The roar of Wimbledons Centre Court crowd sounded like a rogue wave crashing on a rocky beach.Williams turned to the ball kid, devoid of expression. Kerber made a fist, shook it like a person about to shoot dice and dropped to her receiving crouch in the ad-court. She clutched her racket handle with both hands, thrust her jaw forward and swayed gently, ready to pounce.Eyes downcast, Williams stepped to the line. She tossed the ball and exploded up, the racket a dark blur against the grassy lime-green background. There was nothing for Kerber to pounce on.A 117-mph ace flew by on Kerbers backhand side. As she crossed to the deuce court, Kerber tilted her head back and gazed deep into the sky, dispirited.At deuce, Williams dialed it up and cracked her fastest serve of the match, 124 mph. She saved the game, broke Kerber and closed out the match. She finally won that elusive 22nd Grand Slam singles title that equaled Steffi Grafs Open era record.This is how Serena is playing, Kerber marveled, after taking the 7-5, 6-3 loss in 1 hour, 21 minutes. I had one break point, and I couldnt do nothing. Serena was serving unbelievable today.The score and elapsed time might not suggest it, but the match was close and played at a high level by both women, particularly Williams.A pitch-perfect performance was certainly something she has earned. That 22nd title is such a shiny thing, such a pretty and unique thing. But it has cost Williams dearly, going all the way back to her puzzling loss to Roberta Vinci in the semifinals of the US Open. At that event, Williams was attempting to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam as well as secure title No. 22.Williams faltered and didnt find her secure champions footing again until she was back on Wimbledon turf. She was upset by Kerber in the Australian Open final, and a French Open title was stripped away by Garbine Muguruza.For a good part of the past year, Williams visibly struggled with her emotions. She seemed to forget how much better she has always been than anyone else. She squandered an important psychological advantage. At Wimbledon this fortnight, she finally remembered. She projected an aura of calm assurance and reclaimed superiority all week.I have definitely had some sleepless nights, if Im just honest, with a lot of stuff, Williams said. Coming so close. Feeling it, not being able to quite get there. ... Ive just felt a lot of pressure, I guess. I put a lot of that pressure on myself. Obviously had some really tough losses.The cumulative effect of all those brushes with destiny was the gradual erosion of her confidence. She retreated a bit into herself during her long struggle. Her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, noticed. He told anyone who asked, or was willing to listen, that Williams just wasnt herself. He waited for her to snap out of it.Sometime after the French Open, we were talking, talking about things and strategizing, Williams said. [Patrick] just said, Youre back. I guess he was right.Williams recovered her composure by taking a helicopter view of her recent past. She realized that she was still getting to finals, including the first two this year. She has been in the final of seven of the past eight majors.Its pretty impressive, Williams said. I had to start looking at the positives, not focusing on that one loss per tournament. Once I [did that], I realized that Im pretty good. I started playing better.Better is an inadequate word to describe the way Williams played her second-week matches at Wimbledon. She was superb. Shes in a different place now, mentally and emotionally. She isnt likely to get sucked into those black holes of anxiety in the future, even if her mission to win at least one Grand Slam title per year continues.And there is that hunt for the all-time singles title of 24, held by Margaret Court. Is Williams concerned that people will start asking about that now?No, no, she said. Ive learned a lot about 22. I learned not to get involved in those debates and conversations. I just learned to just play tennis. Thats what I do best.Better than anyone else, perhaps ever. Brett Favre Youth Jersey . Self was acquired from the Buffalo Bandits in a trade for Alex Hill midway through last season, and made his debut in Rochester on March 16, 2013. Randy Moss Womens Jersey . Vettel, who has already clinched his fourth straight F1 title, enters the finale with a chance to equal Michael Schumachers 13 victories in a year and match the record of nine consecutive wins by Alberto Ascari in the 1952 and 1953 seasons. http://www.thevikingsshoponline.com/Youth-Dalvin-Cook-Vikings-Jersey/ . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. Fran Tarkenton Vikings Jersey . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. John Randle Youth Jersey . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. Australian Joel Parkinson has lost a nail-biting final of the World Surf League event in California to South Africas Jordy Smith.In pursuit of his first victory since June 2013, the Australian veteran was beaten by 0.44 in the final, falling agonisingly short with a long ride in the final five minutes.Parkinson fell in a last-ditch effort in the final minute to pull off the massive score required before securing his first second spot in two seasons.Im really happy to be back here and on the podium -- it feels really good, he said.This event I was so motivated and really keen to notch a win up.The talent of surfing in this event is incredible and I have to give it to Jordy, hes an amazing surfer and a top world title contender.Smiths win moved him to fourth in the championship, one spot and a meagre 1300 points behind best-placed Australian Matt Wilkinson, while Parkinson is now sixth with three events remaining ahead of the European leg of the tour.ddddddddddddIf I can be in with a shot at the world title this year then that will be great, Smith said.Europe can go either way so Im just going to try my hardest and see how it goes.Meanwhile Wilkinsons championship hopes appear to be waning after another disappointing event.The Australian failed to reach the third round for the second successive event, and has not reached a final since the Fiji Pro in early June, to be 5150 points behind Hawaiian leader John John Florence.Earlier, Parkinson defeated American Tanner Gudauskis by 0.10 in their tight semi-final, while Smith won his way to the decider by beating Brazils Filipe Toledo. 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