Serena Williams has been on quite a rollercoaster ride of personal ups and downs over the past six months. After stepping on a shard of glass at a restaurant in Germany after she won the Wimbledon title, badly wounding herself, the 29-year-old’s health started to decline. She's had two surgeries due to complications from the injury, including treatment for blood clots in her lungs that almost killed her.

However, today marks a healthy return to form for the tennis star, as Williams competes in the U.S. Opens Finals. It's an especially big deal because she’s the only American playing on the day that the U.S. is commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Reuters reports the tennis star as saying, "... It's also, you know, a great day for us to be playing the finals. It's a time to remember what happened, but also to maybe get through it. And hopefully we can have a good match."

Williams, who has won 13 grand slams and three U.S. Opens, says, "Six months ago I was in the hospital and now I'm in the final so I feel like, regardless of a result, I have just been a champion for everyone out there who are fighting against all odds."

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