Germany's Angelique Kerber lifts the trophy after winning the women's singles final match against Serena Williams of the United States, at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in London, Saturday July 14, 2018.(AP Photo/Tim Ireland)
Germany's Angelique Kerber lifts the trophy after winning the women's singles final match against Serena Williams of the United States, at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in London, Saturday July 14, 2018.(AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

London — Serena Williams’s pursuit of an eighth Wimbledon title was denied in convincing fashion by the hard-hitting patience and precision of Germany’s Angelique Kerber on Saturday afternoon.

Kerber, one of just five women to have beaten Williams in a Grand Slam final before Saturday (and one of just four not named Williams, as well), needed just 65 minutes to complete the 6-3, 6-3 victory.

But in many ways, Williams, 36, leaves the All England Club with a victory on multiple levels.

Just 10 months removed from a difficult childbirth that was followed by grave medical complications, Williams had said at the outset of Wimbledon that her return to competition was about far more than adding to her 23 Grand Slam titles. She sought, in a larger sense, to speak to all women about what is possible.

And she spoke to them during the on-court trophy presentation. “To all the moms out there, I was playing for you today,” Williams said, her voice breaking. “And I tried. Angelique played really well.”

Wimbledon was just her fourth tournament back, since her competitive return in March. At that point, her No. 1 ranking had plunged to 491st as a result of her 13-month maternity leave.

To reach Saturday’s final, dropping just one set in route, exceeded all expectations.

But Kerber, 30, was simply the steadier woman, committing just five unforced errors to Williams’s 24.

Williams held a 6-2 advantage in their previous meetings. In 2016, Kerber defeated Williams to win the Australian Open, but Williams stormed back to defeat Kerber at Wimbledon six months later.

Their reprise on Saturday was attended by a star-studded crowd that included golfer Tiger Woods, Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton and, looking on from the front row of the Royal Box, the Duchess of Cambridge (the former Kate Middleton) and the Duchess of Sussex (the former Meghan Markle), a dear friend of Williams.

It was delayed roughly two hours so world No. 1 Rafael Nadal and former No. 1 Novak Djokovic could complete their semifinal, which was halted the previous day at 11 p.m., in compliance with the tournament’s curfew.

Kerber opened with a rare break of serve. Her strategy was evident at the outset: make Williams move side to side as much as possible and wrong-foot her when she could.

While not capable of as many outright winners, Kerber hoped to stay in long rallies, absorb Williams’ power, dish it back in kind, and hope to coax an error.