Serena Williams overcame illness to secure her 20th Grand Slam title nine years ago with a victory over Lucie Safarova in the French Open final.

The American, who had won her first major 16 years earlier, defeated Czech player Safarova 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-2 in a thrilli𝚗g match at Roland Garros.

Williams, then 33, was the top seed and a heavy favorite, having won the US Open and Australian Open earlier in the season. However, she had been battling illness before the final and disclosed that she nearly withdrew from the match.

Despite her struggles, Williams was given a significant scɑre by Safarova, who was competing in her first Grand Slam final.

Williams secured the first set 6-3 and seemed poised for a straightforward win when she led 4-1 in the second set. However, the left-handed Safarova fought back to force a tie-break, which she won convincingly.

A major upset appeared possible when Safarova led 2-0 in the deciding set, but Williams demonstrated her dominance by winning six consecutive games to clinch her third French Open title.

Reflecting on the match, Williams said: “Is it the most difficult Grand Slam I’ve ever won? For sure. When you have the flu, your whole body aches. That’s kind of what I have been dealing with. Even now I just really don’t have any energy and I just want to go to bed. It’s been a nightmare 48 hours.”

She added: “I talked to all the doctors here and the physios here. I even told the physio, ‘I’m not sure I’m going to be able to play because this is just not looking good.’”

This victory marked her 20th Grand Slam singles title, placing her two behind Steffi Graf and four behind Margaret Court.

Williams later increased her total to 23 Grand Slam titles but was unable to surpass Court’s record, losing her last four Grand Slam finals—twice at Wimbledon and twice at the US Open.

In August 2022, Williams announced her impending transition away from professional tennis and played her final match at the US Open.

She welcomed her second daughter, Adira, in August last year.