After battling her way to the Wimbledon final, Serena Williams has come up short.
In a stunning upset, the seven-time Wimbledon champion lost to Angelique Kerber of Germany in 2 sets: 6-3, 6-3. It was one of Williams’ most lopsided losses.
Williams came out swinging but was easily overpowered by Kerber in back-to-back sets. Kerber only made four unforced errors, while Williams made 14. Kerber is ranked 11th worldwide and has previously won two major titles: the 2016 Australian Open and the 2016 U.S. Open. Williams is currently ranked 25th.
“For all the moms out there, I did this for you. I tried my best,” Williams said, fighting back tears after the loss. “I was really happy to get this far. It’s obviously disappointing, but I can’t be disappointed. I’m literally just getting started.”
Williams has battled hard to get back to the court just 10 months after giving birth to her first child, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr. She also revealed that shortly after her daughter’s birth, she nearly died. Blood clots, which almost killed her years ago, were found in her lungs and the after-effects of treating them led to multiple surgeries.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner said recently she stopped breastfeeding her daughter to slim down for her return to the court. She said she’d heard that nursing would promote weight loss, but that didn’t happen for her.
“What I’ve learned through the experience, everybody is different, every person is different, every physical body is different,” she said in the clip above. “For my body, it didn’t work, no matter how much I worked out, no matter how much I did.”
Williams’ close friend, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attended the final match with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. The appearance marked the duchesses’ first solo outing without their husbands. Before taking their seats, the pair met with some of the tournament’s ball boys and girls, including Tia Carter, who did the match’s official coin toss.