In tennis, we talk about elevating for the big moment, and summoning your best when the stakes are highest. Is there a better encapsulation of that than the 2019 Wimbledon final? Simona Halep was both an underdog and sentimental against the mighty Serena Williams, who had freshly returned from maternity leave and was also a seven-time Wimbledon champion. And that afternoon on Centre Court, Halep turned in a performance verging on flawless, beating the best of the best 6–2, 6–2 in less than an hour.
It was the signature win of Halep’s career—which is saying something. A Romanian who managed, at once, to be both fierce and thoroughly pleasant, Halep spent more than a decade in the top 10, the eighth-longest streak in WTA history. With slick movement and deceptive power that belied her modest frame, she won 24 titles including two majors.
