Serena charging towards history

Only nine months ago, Serena Williams could barely make the short walk to her letterbox. Now she is charging towards history

Serena Williams celebrates after beating Germany's Julia Goerges 6-2 6-4 in their Wimbledon semi-final

Only nine months ago, Serena Williams could barely make the short walk to her letterbox. Now she is charging towards history as she prepares to equal one of her sport’s most imposing records.

Williams will face Germany’s Angelique Kerber tonight in the final of the All England Club Championships at Wimbledon. If she wins she will join Australia’s Margaret Court at the very top of tennis as a 24-time grand slam ­titlist.

The quality of her play as she dispatched Julia Goerges 6-2 6-4 had been superb but her efforts just to get back on court are an even greater achievement.

Just 10 months after giving birth to daughter Alexis Olympia, Serena’s husband Alexis Ohanian revealed how tough the road has been.

“Walking to the mailbox was a painful, exhausting challenge for this woman just nine months ago. This is already nothing short of ­remarkable,” Ohanian said.

After her semi-final victory, Williams took time to compose herself with friends and family before fronting a media conference.

There she outlined the difficulties associated with her comeback given the complications associated with the birth of her bundle of joy, confirming there had been some doubt about making the tournament this year.

“It’s no secret that I had a super tough delivery,” she said. “I lost count after, like, four surgeries because I was in so many surgeries. It was just routine every day (that) I had to have a new surgery.

“Because of all the blood issues I have, it was really touch-and-go for a minute. It was tough. There was a time I could barely walk to my mailbox.

“A lot of people were saying, ‘Oh. She should be in the final’. For me, it is such a pleasure and joy because, you know, less than a year ago I was going through so much stuff.”

When Garbine Muguruza won last year, Williams was at home in Florida, unable to defend the 2016 title she won against Kerber.

Williams does not feel as though she is making up for lost time, but she is surprised by how quickly she has been able to return to a grand slam final.

By virtue of her reputation, Williams was promoted to 25 in the seedings for this tournament. But that did not allay the doubt surrounding her form.

After scrapping an Australian Open comeback, the right-hander had been underwhelming when returning to the tour for the “Sunshine Swing” through Indian Wells and Miami in March.

She looked better at the French Open, knocking out both Ash Barty and Goerges to reach the fourth round, only to injure a pectoral muscle that restricted her preparation for this event.

But the improvement in the way she is striking the ball and moving has been evident from match to match over the past week.

This is emphasised by a look at the unforced errors she has made over the past four rounds.

The tally was 19 against Kiki Mladenovic, 11 when too good for Evgeniya Rodina, just nine despite a high-standard quarter-final against Camila Giorgi going three sets and then only seven in a quality semi-final.

“It’s been a crazy 10 months. I was still pregnant at this time last year,” she said. “That’s something I have to keep reminding myself.

“Also, you know, going out there, being a mum, is super cool. Knowing that no matter what happens, I have amazing support and unconditional love. It’s such a great feeling.”

Given the events of the past year and the devotion directed towards her daughter and also reclaiming her fitness, her answer yesterday that she had given no thought to equalling the record set by Court did not hint at an athlete’s mind-trick to allay pressure.

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Though as she said, her battle to join Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert as an 18-time major champion did cause her stress between titles at the US Open in 2013 and 2014.

“To be perfectly honest, I haven’t thought about that this tournament,” she said.

“Not even once, actually. In fact, I’ve probably forgotten about it. I think that is a good thing because … I put so much pressure on myself when I was trying to get to 18, then the rest, it was so much.

“But as I have said in the past couple of years, I don’t want to limit myself. I think that is what I was doing in the past, I was limiting myself.”

Court’s record was one many thought would never be caught. But the Australian isn’t concerned about sharing a place in history. Court won 24 major titles in singles but collected another 40 in doubles and mixed doubles.

“Records are there to be broken,’’ Court told The Australian last year. “I won’t lose any sleep over it. That one could be broken, but that 64 (overall major titles) wouldn’t be, you still have records there. I never really think about it anymore. It is so far from my life. My life is so full in what I do today … unless I am talking to someone like you or the press asks me or I come to some event where tennis is.”

Court said it was tough to know where Williams stood compared to other great players.

“It’s always hard to compare, you can never compare one era to another,’’ Court said.

“I think she is a great player, so was (Martina) Navratilova, so was Steffi Graf, so was Chris Evert. I think they are all champions in their own right.”

Tonight’s final is the classic clash of contrasting styles. Williams is a bold, aggressive striker of the ball who boasts a supreme serve. Kerber, who was far too steady for Jelena Ostapenko in a 6-3 6-3 victory, is a counter-puncher, though this sells her shot-making capabilities short.

The left-hander endured a ­period in the wilderness last year after a breathtaking 2016 in which she won the Australian and US Opens and reached the Wimbledon final en route to becoming the world No 1.

After edging Russian veteran Vera Zvonareva, who is on the comeback trail, in the first round, she has taken down a string of promising talents since. Claire Liu, Naomi Osaka, Belinda Bencic, Daria Kasatkina and now Ostapenko have been beaten without the loss of a set.

Now for the clash with the Queen of Wimbledon, who will have the Royal support of Meghan Markle tonight. Kerber is hopeful of delivering an upset similar to her maiden grand slam triumph in Melbourne two years ago.

“I see a champion, that’s for sure,” she said. “I know that she is always pushing you to the limits to play your best tennis. That is the only chance to beat her. She’s a fighter. She’s a champion. That is why she is there, where she is now.”