Martina Navratilova vs Zina Garrison: Wimbledon Final 1990 (Extended Highlights)

Martina Navratilova is arguably the greatest women's player of all time. 1990 marked a milestone for the naturalized American, when she took her place at the age of 34 in her ninth consecutive Wimbledon Ladies Singles final, having won the title on eight previous occasions. Martina's opponent was playing in her first Grand Slam final. 27-year-old fellow American Zina Garrison had proved her credentials by defeating the defending champion and top seed Steffi Graf in the semi-finals. Martina was looking for yet another record, as she sought to win a record-breaking ninth Wimbledon Ladies Singles title. Garrison would have to hold back the hand of history if Navratilova was to be denied. We join the match at one all in the first set. Garrison to serve, your commentators Dan Maskell, Virginia Wade and Anne Jones. So good defensive play by Martina then and suddenly turned into attack finishing with a server a little bit slow getting down to that half volley in fact a bit slow getting into the net oh that's a lovely shot Navratilova held on to that break and we rejoin the first set with the hot favorite serving for so three set points for Martina and all those four hands from Zina Garrison were going in against Steffi Graf. Martina comes in here and produces probably the best volley that she's hit just classic low volley second set just watch how far out in front she gets the racket and gets down to it and stays there as she hits it magnificent volley always the best at low volleys we rejoin the action at the start of the second set with Garrison up against it so second set really keyed up Martina it's a good return and volley comes back but it's a winning drive volley from below the height of the net by Martina a risky shot but uh she's getting keyed up I think we're back into the second set with Garrison serving at one game all well here's the example if you're going to take the initiative away from the serving volleyer and come in then you've got to be in confidently and not afraid to go for the pass the server never stopped going forward there there was no uh messing about waiting to see whether she could play it right in aggressive volley it's 15 or 30 such a dangerous shot the drop shot from only just inside the baseline it's really quite perfect if you're doing it from as far back as that 15 30 good serve that's served rather different from many of the others straight at Martina's body Martina a little bit slow getting out of the way of it trying to play a forehand where's this service going to a backhand forehand or straight body ultra cautious I think when she was playing the attempt at the backhand cross-court pass break point well that's a great directionally perfect just out three deuces in this Garrison service game and here's Zeno not volleying as confidently as Martina by any manner of means you can see she's just not punching the ball off the racket break point for the second time turn of serve and at the last moment really controls the racket head quite perfectly now that ought really to give us some confidence well it was it was a mistimed serve so the appeal fails let's have a look at it again it's a floating serve she mistimes it from here it looked as though it was good it's advantage never had it over they've had five deuces this is a really tough game she really must hang on to this serve it's one all in the about eight and a half minutes they've been playing this uh this third game of the second set once the first serve in it really does third time it's break point Zena is really hanging on by a thread here she didn't make that such a good overhead but it confused Martina and that was why Martina ended up slipping Zena really a little lucky to still be in this game and once again no sign of caution there the racket right out in front to play an aggressive volley and she needs that sort of careless retro along off the ground too i think so this rather cat and mouse game goes on and they've been at it in this particular game 11 minutes now this is about the best serve that Zena has hit and it comes back with interest Zena was so relieved to get it in i don't think she really concentrated on the next shot fourth time break two games to one second set by one set to look the match was drifting away from garrison we rejoin it with her now trailing by three games to one it's almost too easy for Martina when she hits that return so well she just is stationary at the net and just puts her foot forward and makes an easy volley and i say it is interesting to see uh Zena play a half early like that against the champion Steffi Graf she was smothering those not just floating them up but really smothering closing the racket face on them and putting them really quite deep that was a terribly it seems she's hooked it in and this is a fascinating shot that martina plays the volley is bad it's short but it's a hooked up whipped up forehand that draws the ball in if you're a golfer you'll know what drawing the ball in is there it is but it's break point for four one bead for martina now rattled over in almost complete control we pick it up once more with garrison serving first service no question about that it was out his volley is reasonably deep but martina's forehand so sharp and she was prepared for it ready and the winner came so easily about 30 good serve so two championship points for martina radilova and so it had panned out as expected a comfortable victory for the hot favorite huge disappointment for zena garrison in what proved to be her one and only grand slam singles a record-breaking ninth wimbledon ladies singles title for martina navratilova those titles spanning three different decades she'd become the greatest grass court player in the history of the women's game she reached the singles final on two further occasions but 1990 was the last time this superlative champion took the title at sw19 indeed the victory was the last of her 18 grand slam singles titles a fitting full stop perhaps for a legend who never looked more at home than on the lawns of the all england club