Serena Williams celebrates match point to win the tournament against Samantha Stosur of Australia on Day 7 in the final of the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank at the Rexall Centre on August 14, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)Chris Trotman/Getty Images
Serena Williams still has it.
Out for 49 weeks with dramatic health problems, and competing in just her fourth tournament back, Williams found her stride again in Toronto, winning her final point at the Rogers Cup tournament with a devastating ace that nobody, much less World No. 11 Samantha Stosur, could answer.
All in all, Williams delivered nine aces in the match, four of them in the final game. The last one put an exclamation mark on her comeback, and should make her opponents very nervous at the U.S. Open in a few weeks. Still, Williams still feels like the underdog.
"I went through a lot of things physically and mentally and emotionally," said Williams, who had two foot surgeries and a pulmonary embolism in the past year. "I'm just taking it one day at a time and one match at a time."
Stosur and Williams have met five times, with Stosur winning twice, the last time at the 2010 French Open on the clay surface in the quarterfinals. "I've got to be on my toes more," Williams thought. But aside from her many talents - a huge serve, powerful volleys - Williams prefers the hard court in Toronto. It's her favourite surface.
Asked if she ever doubted that she could return to this level, Williams said quickly: "Never. Never once."
Her game still isn't where she wants it to be. She feels she needs to close out big points more, and returning volleys better (she missed a few chances on Sunday). But still, she feels "solid."
Williams's game improved progressively all week, so much so the had some of the legends players, like Andre Agassi, nervous at the idea of playing her. "It's not that easy just to come back on tour and win two events in your first four tournaments," Stosur said. "I think she's playing very well. I guess she makes it look very easy."
. At courtside at a final with plenty of empty seats were Williams' father, Richard, and her two dogs, Jackie and Laurelei, Also watching was Canadian recording and acting artist Drake, who is rumoured to be having a relationship with Williams.
Asked about him, Williams remained non-committal. "Oh man, really?" she said. "So much speculation. It's unbelievable. Shocking, really. It's too much. It's really too much. We're really good friends. I guess, you know, you can't be too close of a friend nowadays."
Williams, who has not suffered fools with media in earlier interviews, was also asked another odd question by the tournament's official poet, who wanted to know what word or phrase she wanted her to use in her celebratory work on Williams.
"Knarly," Williams said after some thought.
Williams won the Rogers Cup 10 years ago when it took place at another site on the grounds of York University and says she's shocked by the amount of time that has passed. "Am I really 26, now?" she said. "It's crazy."
All week, Williams has been insisting that she is 26, when in reality, she will turn 30 on Sept. 26.
Clouds hung low over the match, and thunder rumbled ominously during the second set. But shortly after Williams won in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, the rain fell in torrents.
A doubles match was to have followed, but earlier in the day Victoria Azarenka – who fell to Williams in the singles semi-finals on Saturday - apparently injured a hand and she and partner Maria Kirilenko withdrew, handing the title to Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond.
Williams, ranked No. 80 this week, will probably rise to No. 31 after her second victory this season. She plans to play in Cincinnati next week and is due to start on Tuesday.
"I'll be there," she said.