YOU won't catch Serena Williams talking about 22. The 34-year-old will move onto that number and level with Steffi Graf in second on the list of all-time Grand Slam champions with victory against Angelique Kerber on Centre Court today but articulating that ambition has become a dirty word in her camp.

Not only have back-to-back defeats in major finals prevented her from achieving that milestone thus far, one of them was inflicted by today's opponent in Melbourne Park in January. It only adds to the intrigue that Kerber should put her recent resurgence down to a pep talk with Graf, and her husband Andre Agassi, after Indian Wells in March.

"That is so much the point about this 22nd title," says her coach Patrick Mouratoglou. "It came into her head at some point and I don’t think that was the right thing. But with these disappointments over the last eight months it’s just not a thing any more."

Mouratoglou claims that he knew, as soon as Serena was off the phone following her defeat in the French Open final to Garbine Muguruza, that she was back in the correct headspace and no longer simply hung up on securing her place in history. For the record, this would be her seventh Wimbledon title and her ninth Grand Slam since turning 30.

“Angelique played an incredible match in Australia but I think coming in to that match Serena didn’t have the right mindset, for many reasons," Mouratoglou said. "But she will go into this match with a totally different state of mind so it is going to be a totally different match.

"She will go to win every single point, serve big, take her chances, don’t go into long rallies," he added. "She’s not there for that, so don’t let your opponent bring you there. She’ll need to go to the net, miss sometimes at the net, that’s not a problem. She’ll have to dictate and decide what is going to happen in that match.

"I have had this feeling since her loss at Roland Garros. I spoke to her afterwards on the phone and after I hung up I said to the people around me: ‘Serena is back’. And when Serena is back it is a different story. The real Serena is the one who is so good at playing finals, the one who is so competitive, the one who is able to raise her level when she is in trouble. She has shown that here, she’s playing better match after match. This is what I am looking for against Kerber, and we will know after if the real Serena is back or not."

Kerber took a dip in the Yarra river in the wake of that 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 Australian Open success. While she wisely has no plans to do likewise in the dirty old waters of the Thames, the German hopes the flood gates might be about to open for her when it comes to the majors. Whatever happens she will reclaim the No 2 spot in the world rankings, with Serena remaining top of the pile.

She has displayed typically Teutonic efficiency to get this far without dropping a set - Serena lost one to Christina McHale - and hopes history may be on her side. This is the first match the pair have played since then - and the first ever on grass - while the last time two women met in two major finals in the one year was ten years ago, Amelie Mauresmo taking care of Justine Henin at the the Australian Open, then repeating the feat at Wimbledon. The experience of one should help in the other.

"It's the final, the last match of the tournament," said Kerber. "For sure I will be nervous like before every single match. But I think that right now I can handle it better. When I'm going on court, after the first few games, I think I will not be so nervous as before.

"Serena has won here so many times, she will go for it," Kerber added. "I know I have to play my best tennis. But I'm excited and I'm really looking forward to play against her again. It's always tough against Serena. But I will try to go out and win it. I will try to take the experience from Australia and try to be a little bit more relaxed."

Kerber said she was happy to shoulder the burden of being the first German winner since Graf, an even twenty years ago. Not to mention making up for Germany's demise at the European Championships to France. "Twenty years is a long time and I will try to be the next German one who wins Wimbledon," she said. "I was watching the game yesterday. It was not their day. They tried everything, but still they played a good tournament there. I am in the final now so I will try to fly the flag for Germany."