Steel blue

If anyone knows what it's like to let it fly in a first major final against a multiple Grand Slam champ it's Maria Sharapova. She was all but 17-years old and facing the daunting prospect of Serena Williams on the other side of the net at Wimbledon's Centre Court. But she had nothing to lose and played like it earning the big W at the Big W. The same could be said for Petra Kvitova who defeated Shrieka 6-3, 6-4 in her first major final to earn her maiden Grand Slam championship today.

The Czech seemed inspired while making Centre Court her own tennis playground. She played the aggressive game she wanted to play and hit the penetrating shots she needed to hit all with little fan fare and barely a shriek (what IS that noise?). But I suppose that comes with the territory of a baller whose game is tailor made for a certain surface. Think Justine Henin on clay, Kim Clijsters on hard court and Venus Williams on grass. The baller, surface and game just fit and one never questions the other.

According to Kvitz, she wasn't even feeling the pressure before entering the match:

I felt normal before the match. I was speaking with my coaches and we said I should play like it's a fourth round match. I was focused only on the point and the game and not on the final and the medal.

She may want to bottle that attitude and sell it on the WTA tour. Big Babe Bucks y'all.

Maybe we should've seen all of this coming. With those ice blue eyes and affectless expression, Kvitz possesses that steely look most champions own; her face never betrays the moment. You can't tell whether she's winning or not. Even when she looks to her box because she's desperate for support or joining their celebratory dance it's pretty much the same. During her post-match remarks, the 21-year old southpaw admitted she wasn't as calm as she may have seemed, though, saying, "I was nervous, because I thought I could win Wimbledon, but I just focused on each point."

Yup. That's exactly what champions do. Welcome to the club, girl.

Check out Nike Tennis' and Wilson's tributes to the new Wimbledon champ after the jump.