Like a cherished bottle of wine, Amelie Mauresmo said the sudden fulfilment of her career tastes even better because the pleasure has been a few years coming.
The French 27-year-old's 2-6 6-3 6-4 victory over Justine Henin-Hardenne at Wimbledon on Sunday sealed a second grand slam title in six months after seven years of near misses and questions about her nerve.
"It is very sweet, I think," the world number one told reporters. "Maybe if it had come the first time I was in a grand slam final seven years ago, maybe it would have not had the same taste.
"Things come when they have to come. For a few months now it seems to be working pretty well for me.
Asked if it felt different holding aloft the Venus Rosewater Dish on Centre Court, she joked: "It's a different trophy. It's round, it's smaller," before adding: "Of course the way it ended is different, I had the final moment, the final point."
Saturday's match looked to be slipping away from the popular Mauresmo in a first set in which the tension got the better of her. However, this time she did not buckle.
"I'm very proud the way I kept coming in to the net even though it didn't work very well in the first set.
"I was nervous on match point but I think that's understandable... I was just focusing on the game."
Mauresmo is a keen collector of wine, although she has not decided which one to open yet in celebration of her Wimbledon singles title -- the first by a Frenchwoman for 81 years.
"I haven't though about it. I was not too optimistic," she said. "We'll see when I get back."