SERENA WILLIAMS WINS 5TH WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONSHIP

She lay on the Centre Court turf with her face buried in her hands



she then climbed into the stands to hug friends and family, and she could not hold back the tears as she thanked those who helped her through the hard times.

Serena Williams was back in a familiar situation, clutching the Venus Rosewater Dish as she has done on four previous occasions, while the applause rained down.

Pure delight: Serena Williams celebrates with trophy after victory

Mixed emotions: Serena jumps for joy, while Radwanska reflects on a superb tournament

But this one was different. Even for a woman who has now won 13 Grand Slam titles, and is without argument the finest player of her generation, this one was extra special.

Fifteen months ago she lay in a hospital bed in Miami with her life in danger and doubting, even if she pulled through, that she would play tennis again.

Flat out: Serena Williams is overcome by emotion after winning her fifth Wimbledon

Family affair: Venus claps as Serena hugs father Richard

Certainly the prospect of rejoining the greats of her sport was farthest from her mind.

But, at the age of 30, the younger of the two Williams sisters is back at the top.

At the end of a gruelling two years she has scrambled her way past the new generation to prove that, at her defiant best, there is no one to touch her.

In that time she endured an 11-month break from the sport after treading on broken glass in a Munich restaurant and suffering a long-term foot injury and then,

as she was about to return, was struck down with a pulmonary embolism and a blood clot had to be removed from her lung.

Since returning to the court last summer, her progress has been inconsistent, culminating in her first ever first-round loss in a Grand Slam tournament at this year's French Open.

Show of force: Williams was in unstoppable form

But the drive of a champion had not deserted her - as she underlined in an ultimately emphatic 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 win over world No 3 Agnieszka Radwanska to clinch a fifth Wimbledon title and equal the achievement of her older sister, Venus.

No wonder she was able to tell the 15,000 fans on Centre Court: 'Oh, my Lord I can't even describe it. I almost didn't make it a few years ago from the hospital bed and here I am. It's amazing. I never dreamed of being here again. But you never give up. You just continue.'

How long she can continue and how many more Grand Slams she can add - she is now fourth on the women's all-time list - is the question Saturday's triumph inevitably provokes.

In full flow: There was no stopping Serena as she wrapped up her 14th Grand Slam

On the evidence of the first half of this final she looks untouchable, certainly on grass, for quite a while.

But the way the contest turned as Radwanska put up a commendably brave fight made the debate less clear cut.

What the 23-year-old Pole achieved was to force Williams into giving the performance of a true champion.

The match initially threatened to be an embarrassment, a one-sided stroll, unworthy of a Wimbledon women's final.

As Williams stormed into a 5-0 lead spectators squirmed in their seats, desperate for something to cheer, while journalists started to check on past annihilations.

Fighting back: Radwanska put the woes of the first set behind with a battling display in the second

Would Radwanska even win a game?

When she finally did to make it 5-1, the roof, which had been left open, felt as if it had been lifted off.

Whether Radwanska was consumed by nerves in her first Grand Slam final, or whether the respiratory complaint she had contracted in the damp conditions, was responsible, she was nevertheless outclassed and lost the first set 6-1.

The rain then fell, the players went off for 22 minutes and when they returned, the contest changed.

Running away with it: Serena leaps through the crowd on her way to celebrate with her family

Spurred on by the crowd, she traded shots with Williams, who had overpowered her early on.

From 4-2 down she fought back to level, breaking the Williams serve as the 8-1 on favourite began to make mistakes.

To the amazement and delight of most the crowd, the right-hander from Krakow then broke serve again to take the set 7-5.

Hauled off: Williams and Radwanska leave Centre Court after the first set for a 15-minute rain delay

An apparent rout was suddenly a contest and at 2-l to the underdog in the final set we even wondered who the champion would be.

But Williams had been here before and she knew instinctively what to do.

She banged down four aces in succession to level the set at 2-2 - and reach her 100th ace of the Championship - and then broke serve to take control.

She then surged ahead in the next three games to win the match, finishing with a trademark backhand winner down the line.

In the end it was a final to savour. Radwanska showed she is a star in the making and a probable future Grand Slam winner.

But she was beaten by one of the greats, who proved she is not finished yet.Serena Williams Wins 5th Wimbledon Title