Barty’s embrace

Yes, giving up is no longer an option for Barty.

Having rolled over brilliant Kerber in the semi-final, she was not going to be a wilting flower, faced with her last hurdle in the final to the Wimbledon crown.

She knew she had to come out against Pliskova's blow-away serving game with all guns blazing, from the beginning to a dreamt-for-end.

It was indeed a perfect first game.

For a start, she could serve first, which gave her the opportunity, should her first serves win her the first game, to make her opponent try to catch up with her, when Pliskova's service game followed.

But Barty's first love-game was so one sidedly brilliant, that her opponent was a nervous wreck in trying to find in vain, her feared first serve.

So Barty raced away to an unbeatable lead and won the first set comfortably.

Then came the second set where Barty was having her championship point, but she could not convert and she eventually lost in a tiebreak.

The gods weren't smiling on her then: not one, but two net balls from Pliskova ended up on Barty's side to ensure a lucky victory for Pliskova.

But Barty was not to allow the game to be dictated by luck.

She put the loss behind her, reset, and defeated Pliskova convincingly in the third set, after she broke her in the second game and this time she never let her break back again.

When Barty fulfilled her childhood dream and won the Wimbledon crown, her reaction to victory told legends about her character.