Serena Williams said her fighting spirit got her off the hook against Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo in their epic Wimbledon semi-final on Thursday.
The defending champion gave an error-strewn display against the French fourth seed and was a little fortunate to emerge with a 6-7 7-5 6-4 victory.
"I just had a bad day today but it's always good to pull it through against a top player in the semi-final of Wimbledon on a bad day," said the American, who will seek a hat-trick of All England Club titles in Saturday's final against Maria Sharapova.
"I just kept fighting. That was really all I had, just fight. I didn't have a game today. I just really had heart.
"I made lots of errors. I don't remember getting first serves in.
"I just kept fighting with what I had. I had a good volley, that's about it.
"But I don't give up. Things can always go your way, in general not just on the court, but in life."
Serena said if she won her third Wimbledon crown it would be the best achievement of her career after a difficult end to 2003 when a knee injury curtailed her season and her sister Yetunde Price was shot dead in a Los Angeles suburb.
"It's tough to come back after injuries and surgery... but it's all about keeping a positive attitude," she said.
{{/usCountry}}"It's tough to come back after injuries and surgery... but it's all about keeping a positive attitude," she said.
{{/usCountry}}"This tournament hopefully will be the most special in my career. It hasn't been easy. I was struggling a lot.
"This is my second grand slam back (after the French Open) and to be in the finals, it's not so easy."