Venus Is Back! Regains Wimbledon Title

July 8, 2007 — -- Once number one-ranked former tennis phenom Venus Williams returned to her championship form and roared back to win at Wimbledon.

Some are calling Williams the comeback kid. Currently ranked 31st in the world, she is the lowest-ranked player ever to clinch the title.

The 27-year-old three-time champion clocked serves at 124 miles per hour during the match. Williams used her strength, long legs and arms to make the court seem smaller than it really is.

In the final, her opponent, France's Marion Bartoli, was eventually overwhelmed by the more experienced and fiercely determined Williams.

"Obviously, I have a big summer coming up the U.S. Open series and then the U.S. Open, and I think this win helps my confidence even more," Williams said.

She also has banked another first. For the first time in history, the men's and women's purse at the tournament was equal -- a $1.4 million prize for each.

"When you look back in history," said ABC Sports commentator Christine Brennan, "you know years from now there will, of course, be Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg, Martina Navratilova [and] Billie Jean King. Venus Williams' name belongs there as well."Williams said the win was a family effort. She praised her father, Richard Williams, and her younger sister Serena, whom she said is the best athlete of the past decade.

"I'm actually at this moment very happy in my tennis, and I'm very happy off the court," she said. "That's a great combination."

This year, the tennis tournament experienced a lot of rain. Some believe the disruptions made players more tense, but Williams said she loved it because it gave her time to achieve a mental clarity about her game.