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Tanya Ballard Brown, NPR and Joe Ruiz, NPR

Serena Williams wins Wimbledon for 22nd Grand Slam title

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Serena Williams of The United States plays a forehand during The Ladies Singles Final against Angelique Kerber of Germany on day twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 9, 2016 in London, England.
Serena Williams of The United States plays a forehand during The Ladies Singles Final against Angelique Kerber of Germany on day twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 9, 2016 in London, England.
Clive Brunskill

If she wasn't already one of the best tennis players ever, Serena Williams solidified her case Saturday by winning Wimbledon in straight sets for her 22nd Grand Slam title.

Williams defeated Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3 to win her second consecutive and seventh overall Wimbledon title, according to The Associated Press. The two women played against each other in the Australia Open in January, with Kerber taking that win.

But on Saturday, the 34-year-old tennis star celebrated her latest victory by raising two fingers on each hand to symbolize "22."

"I love playing her," Williams said of Kerber. "She's such a great opponent."

Williams ties Steffi Graf with 22 Grand Slam titles in the Open Era. This seventh title also means Williams is closing in Martina Navratilova's nine trophy wins.

"It makes the victory even sweeter to know how hard I worked for it," Williams told ESPN following the match. "I don't know what else to say. I'm so excited."

Reuters reported the first set was a fierce back-and-forth battle, but that Williams capitalized midway through the second set for the victory.

"At the end, I was trying everything, but she deserved it today. She really played an unbelievable match," said Kerber, who hadn't appeared in a major final until beating Williams in Melbourne. "I think we both play on a really high level."

Serena Williams, left, and Venus Williams hold their trophies after winning the women's doubles final against Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazahkstan and Timea Babos of Hungary on day 13 of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London on Saturday.
Serena Williams, left, and Venus Williams hold their trophies after winning the women's doubles final against Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazahkstan and Timea Babos of Hungary on day 13 of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London on Saturday.
Tim Ireland

It was a day of wins for Serena. Hours after winning the singles title, she competed alongside her sister Venus in the doubles title match, and the two walked away with their sixth Wimbledon championship and 14th Grand Slam title. The sisters hold the doubles title for 2000, 2002, 2008, 2009 and 2012.

"It's a privilege, it's an honour," Venus said, according to Reuters. "When you enter the doubles draw, you dream of winning. Then we enter the singles, we dream of winning.

"To have Williams on both of those, somehow in 2016, it's another dream come true."

The Williams sisters plan to compete in singles and doubles at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next month. Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.