Serena Williams on WTA Championship Title: "I Really Wanted to Win"

Serena Williams won the WTA Championships on Sunday in decisive fashion as she defeated Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3. It would be her 10th career win over her 12 meetings with the Russian player but aside from dominating Sharapova once again, Williams had another objective in mind.

“Now that I can be honest, I really wanted to win,” Williams said. “I wanted it so bad but I didn’t want to say it … It was really important for me to end the year with this title in particular.”

Williams, who did not start the year off playing well, finished an impressive year winning at Charleston, Madrid, Wimbledon, Stanford, the Olympics and the U.S. Open.

“I had such a good year, it was important to end on a good note. It was good for my sanity to win,” Williams said. “I really wanted it although I didn’t need it.”

From the beginning of the game Williams set the tone as she hit a powerful return on her first match point.

Sharapova, No. 2, attempted to keep the battle close as Williams rushed forward to get to a drop shot and put away a passing-shot winner in the seventh game won by Sharapova after five deuces. Williams would go on to close out the set with an ace.

“Today she had another great serving day against me,” Sharapova said. “I don’t think I even had a break point. Maybe it was partly me not doing enough on the returns and partly she was serving well – a few moments when it was 30-all or 15-all, I didn’t get a good return in. But that’s one of the reason she’s such a great champion and has had a tremendous about of success in her career.”

Congrats to Serena!!

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