Tennis is an emotional sport, Elise Mertens was saying at the All England Club.
That’s true of just about any match on any court, but when you’re playing in a Wimbledon final on the grandest stage of all, emotions are naturally going to be heightened.
Was it any wonder, then, that Mertens and her partner Veronika Kudermetova were tearful after becoming the ladies’ doubles champions?
This meant so much to these women, who came from a set down, and then from 2-4 in
the final set, for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Su-Wei Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko that provided almost two-and-a-half hours of entertaining lawn tennis.
It was a first Wimbledon title for Kudermetova, who started to cry a little and looked over and saw that Mertens, a champion on the grass for the second occasion, also had tears in her eyes.
In her two appearances in a Wimbledon final, Kudermetova has experienced very different emotions, and both times Mertens has been involved, once on the other side of the net and once alongside her.
Four years ago, Kudermetova and Elena Vesnina had the disappointment of not converting the two championship points they had against Hsieh and Mertens.
This summer, Kudermetova and Mertens were on the same team and the moments after the final would bring smiles, selfies and those happy tears.
“I was very locked in at the end. We both were. Then we just let all the emotions out because, you know, tennis is an emotional sport,” Mertens said.
“Yeah, I mean, we’re only here once a year, so you try to be the best you can be. We’re very fortunate to win this one together.”
It was just a few weeks ago that Mertens and Kudermetova – who had played together in the past – decided to resume their partnership, and what a smart move that has proved to be.
“This is very special. I’m very happy she’s by my side,” Mertens said of Kudermetova, who had never won a Grand Slam before.
Anyone who watched Mertens trouble her old doubles partner Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round of the ladies’ singles will know that she plays solo to a very high standard. But it’s on the doubles court that she has had her greatest success, with this her fifth Slam.
This summer, the ladies’ doubles final preceded the gentlemen’s singles final for the first time.
With Hsieh playing her quirky tennis – think double-handed slice forehands, along with clever angles and soft touches and so much more – and with Ostapenko bringing so much power to the occasion, Kudermetova and Mertens had some tricky opponents to contend with.
When they were 2-4 down in the third set, this wasn’t looking good for them, but they
played some of their best tennis when it mattered most, winning the next four games
for a fine victory.
Maybe the champions just had more energy than Hsieh and Ostapenko.
“I said to Elise that I think we’re playing well, but we don't have enough energy,” Kudermetova said. “Like, we have to hit the ball, we have to show them that we’re in the game, that we try to do everything from outside.
“I think that was the key because our opponents, they also play very, very well. I mean, it just was very, very tight.
“I think we tried to show our energy and that was the key.”