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Williams unaware of powerful display
08:45, Jul 6 2012
Serena Williams blazed a trail of destruction around Centre Court on Thursday and then admitted she had not been aware she was doing it.
The four-time Wimbledon champion has been improving through the rounds at SW19 this year and produced her best performance to date in her semi-final win over the highly-fancied Victoria Azarenka. The 30-year-old will meet Agnieszka Radwanska in the final - who beat Angelique Kerber in straight sets.
Williams sent down an All England Club record 24 aces and hit 45 winners, but said afterwards: "During the match I didn't think I was serving that well. I had no idea I had served that many aces. I was thinking maybe 10. I was just trying to do the best I could do."
Williams was brash, brutal and brilliant all at the same time - her booming "come on" after she broke Azarenka's serve in the second set echoing around the arena for some time, with the majority of those watching left awestruck.
When it was put to her that she was "slamming" her way around the court, she replied: "I didn't realise I was slamming. Maybe I didn't play the same match that people saw. Maybe I need to watch the film. I didn't realise, I was just trying to do well."
Her final meeting with Radwanska will fall just a year after Williams made her return to the tour after a lengthy spell out with injury.
She cut her foot after standing on glass, with a series of complications following, and in her absence, many predicted that the era of dominance her and sister Venus had enjoyed was coming to an end.
The likes of Radwanska, Azarenka and defending champion Petra Kvitova were all expected to spearhead that movement but, if Williams can win on Saturday, she will have defeated all three in succession.
She is not willing to make too many predictions, though, and is just satisfied to be back playing at a high standard again.
"I'm very proud of getting this far and playing that well," she said. "I'm just trying to do the best I can. It's been amazing this last year. I got to the final of the US Open after my injury and, a year ago I had just started playing again. This has all been really good and I am so grateful."
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