Wimbledon Day 12 Picks- Women's Final (July 7th 2012)

It is funny how quickly these Grand Slam events seem to come and go and we are in the final stretch as we reach the Women's Final.

The big news ahead of this Final is the illness that Agnieszka Radwanska is suffering with, one that forced her to pull out of her pre-Final press conference as she was finding it difficult breathing.

According to her Coach, this illness has been lingering since before the Quarter Final with Maria Kirilenko, although there were no real signs of it against Angelique Kerber in the Semi Final (how much of that is down to the poor performance from the German is up to you decide).

There were some rumours that Radwanska would have to pull out of this Final before it took place, but those seem to be unfounded and the Pole should take her place on Saturday.

The biggest challenge for Radwanska may not be the illness anyway, but it could be facing Serena Williams who has looked very strong in her last couple of matches as she has upped her performances in time to have a chance to win her first Grand Slam title since winning in SW19 back in 2010.

It is funny to think that Williams will be going for her fifth Wimbledon title, that is more titles in one Grand Slam than Maria Sharapova has in her entire career, and I can't help feel that Serena has been under-appreciated. She is not as warm as her sister Venus, especially on court, but I just think that there are plenty of people that will talk about Serena in a much more positive light once she finally hangs up the racquet for good.

I also think it would be a remarkable achievement that a little under two years ago was when Serena was diagnosed with a blood clot on the lungs that may have been life-threatening and the mere fact she is healthy is as big as achievement as actually going ahead and winning a Grand Slam tournament.

Williams has to be careful though as she lost as a big favourite against Sam Stosur last year at the US Open and she has to put in one more major effort to secure the title.


Anyone who followed the outright picks from the start of the tournament will be sitting on Serena Williams at 4.00 already and may just be happy to let that ride. At the moment, Williams is the big favourite to win this match so you also have the chance to lay off and ensure you finish with a profit from this match.


My Women's Final Pick:

Serena Williams - 5.5 games v Agnieszka Radwanska: We have heard all the rumours about how Agnieszka Radwanska is feeling right now, but I would have quite liked Serena Williams on this handicap anyway as I think she has the shots and the serve to cause all sorts of pressure for the Polish player throughout the contest.

We have seen previously that players that can out-hit Radwanska will cause her problems and it is no surprise that Victoria Azarenka has dominated her this season. While Azarenka has better movement than Serena, I think Williams has shown off her athletic ability in the last two matches and so I think she can cause Radwanska plenty of problems despite the awkward angles she will be given at times.

The serve is the critical difference and if Williams is serving anything like how she has been in her last two matches, I think she is going to get enough cheap points to up the ante on Radwanska. Once that scoreboard pressure builds, it may be hard for Radwanska to keep up, especially with the second serve she possesses.

There is also every chance that this Final is played indoors with the forecast not looking great for the weekend and that will give Serena another edge as it should make her shots feel that much heavier and quicker for Radwanska to deal with.

Serena Williams is 2-0 up in the head to head, but this will be the first time they have played since a 2008 Quarter Final here, and Radwanska is vastly improved since then. However, she is still the same counter attacking player in a lot of ways and I don't see the Pole dominating a lot of rallies in this match and dictating the points.

Both girls will be nervous for their own reasons (Serena said she has felt a little anxious at times when it comes to winning another Grand Slam, and this is the first Slam Final for Radwanska), but Serena has the better tools for this match in my opinion and she should win through 6-3, 6-3.

With Williams likely to have the match on her racquet, this will be the pick for the Final for me.


MY PICKS: Serena Williams - 5.5 games @ 2.00 Ladbrokes (2 Units)


Wimbledon Update: 19-17, + 5.08 Units (68 Units Staked)