Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock defeated Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram 7-6, 1-6, (10-7) in a historic all-American showdown on Sunday at the Olympic Games to win the gold medal in mixed doubles.
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B. Mattek-Sands Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
Williams suffered her first-ever defeat in an Olympic final, but she still managed to tie the record for most tennis medals with her silver finish.
She has won the gold medal in doubles with her sister Serena three times (in 2000, 2008, and 2012) and in singles in 2000.
Kitty McKane of Great Britain won five medals in the 1920s, including one gold. Venus Williams was also going for history by attempting to win gold in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
Mattek-Sands said, “Really, playing against Venus is daunting.” The Arizonan did not play like he was from Phoenix. Mattek-Sands has won four Grand Slam doubles or mixed doubles titles, but she considers her Olympic gold to be the most significant of her career.
She reminisced about the opening ceremony and how all the American athletes chanted “U-S-A, U-S-A” before entering the Olympic stadium, and she stated she “felt shivers” as she did so.
You can’t even Begin to Equate that to a Grand Slam, She Proclaimed.
In 1924, the United States swept the mixed doubles competition, winning both gold and silver. Eleanor Goss and Lillian Scharman lost in the final to Hazel Wightman and Dick Williams.
A sick Venus Williams was eliminated in the first round of both the singles and doubles competitions in Rio de Janeiro. Prior to the championship match, she and Ram played a number of close battles.
She reflected on her five Olympic experiences, saying, “It’s been a fantastic journey.” “I can’t believe I walked away with any hardware at all.
Mattek-Sands, a 31-year-old resident of metro Phoenix, is almost guaranteed to participate in her debut Olympics thanks to her No. 9 global ranking in women’s doubles through a June 6 deadline for direct Olympic acceptance.
In 2008 and 2012, she was on the cusp of Olympic contention when injury and other competitors derailed her.
Almost two years after undergoing a second hip surgery, she is currently delivering some of the finest tennis of her career.
Last Words
Mattek-Sands remarked, “I’m simply in a better place right now,” as she was resting and exercising at home before heading to Wimbledon.
Down terms of training, nutrition, and recuperation, “I think I’ve really matured as a player and athlete and focused in on what the best programmes are for me.”
As the saying goes, “It’s a sum of the parts. We’ve come a long way, baby. I’ve never felt better in my life.
