Paris: Serena Williams’ bid to win a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title was thwarted again when she suffered her earliest exit at the Majors in almost five years, prompting more questions over her long-term future at the highest level.
Her 2-6, 5-7 French Open third round defeat Saturday by US compatriot Sofia Kenin meant that she failed again to move level with Margaret Court’s Majors record set between 1960 and 1973. She will be 38 in September and her 23rd and most recent Slam triumph was at the Australian Open in 2017 while pregnant.
After giving birth to daughter Olympia Alexis in September 2017, she returned to Grand Slam tennis at Roland Garros in 2018, making the last 16 where she had been set to resume her bitter rivalry with Maria Sharapova. But an arm injury prevented her from playing that match.
Defeat in the 2018 Wimbledon final to Angelique Kerber, and at the US Open championship match, where her now-infamous meltdown overshadowed Naomi Osaka’s title triumph, followed meaning that she was stuck on 23 Slams. She lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open this year to Karolina Pliskova.
But the American remains defiant over her longevity. “If I was told I would only make the third round here, I would have thought they were lying, because I wouldn’t expect to have got only to the third round,” said Serena after her loss Saturday. She asserted that she will try again to equal Court’s record at Wimbledon in July where she will be chasing an eighth title at the All England Club.
“I’m just pretty far away, but the optimistic part is I haven’t been able to be on the court as much as I would like to have,” Serena said, adding that she may even take a wildcard into a pre-Wimbledon event grass court event.
“At least I can start trying to put the time in now. It’s just been a really gruelling season,” the former World No.1 added.
Saturday’s loss was Serena’s earliest exit at the Slams since a third round loss to France’s Alize Cornet at Wimbledon in 2014.
This year’s Wimbledon gets underway July 1, so Serena at least has four weeks to line up her next assault on the Court landmark. Hopefully by then she will be able to fine tune the rough edges in her game.
AFP