Again and again, Williams moved forward. She crowded the baseline and took balls on the rise. Her feet, which had looked flat, started dancing toward the net. She took the second set, and then raced ahead in the third. When she served for the match, she ended it with urgency: an ace down the T, a volley winner, a forehand winner whipped down the line, and, on match point, a backhand winner so authoritative that its path seemed to trace an exclamation point. My first thought was that Serena Williams was back. But then, I thought, you don’t “come back” from giving birth to a daughter. You start from somewhere new.
When Serena Williams’s long and unparalleled career is over—at, I hope, some distant future date—one of the first matches I will remember is her second-round match of this year’s French Open , against Ash Barty, an excellent, thoughtful point-constructor who seemed to be in the midst of dismantling Williams. Barty had taken the first set 6–3 and broke Williams at love to start the second set. In the next game, Williams muffed an overhead to go down 15–0. She was playing abominably, with twelve unforced errors in the first set alone. It was understandable—Williams came into the French Open without any matches on clay in two years, and only a short while after the difficult birth of her daughter, Alexis Olympia. Still, it was hard to watch. Finally, Williams hit a backhand return winner and gave a guttural roar. And then she started to close.
On Monday morning, Williams announced that she was pulling out of the French Open with a pectoral muscle injury. She had been slated to play Maria Sharapova in the fourth round—a matchup which, given the two players’ long and testy history, many fans had been dreaming of. Williams had followed up her win over Barty with a resounding defeat of Julia Görges, and Sharapova had trounced the sixth seed and former No. 1 Karolína Plíšková in the third round. Expectations were high—despite the fact that, so far, the rivalry has been entirely one-sided, in Williams’s favor. Now Sharapova moves on to the quarter-finals.
Even so, Williams’s performance, over three rounds, after a stuttering spring, was beyond what I had imagined it would be. It should never be surprising when Williams exceeds expectations, but, still, it was startling to see. The way that she has handled her off-court duties was equally striking: there was something particularly generous, something inclusive, about her manner. She has opened up not only about the complications that followed her daughter’s birth but about both the specific and general joy and fear that come with being a mother. She wore a catsuit that, she said, had three purposes: it helped protect her against the formation of blood clots, it represented the fierceness of new mothers, and it made her feel like a superhero. As a new mother myself, I know that becoming a mother is at once a common and an intensely personal experience. For me, watching Williams transform herself over the course of her match against Barty was inspiring. But watching her heed the limits of her body, and pull out with her head held high, was powerful, too.
Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams’ coach, is hoping that the American’s decision to pull out of the French Open will have helped her chances of playing at Wimbledon. Williams withdrew from Roland Garros just minutes before she was due to face Maria Sharapova in the fourth round here on Monday.
“The next plan is to make an MRI to know how bad it is and then do everything so that she has the best chance to play Wimbledon and hopefully win it, because that’s why she came back,” Mouratoglou said.
He added: “We’ll know tomorrow whether we need two weeks, or three weeks, hopefully not more, for her to be able to serve again. There’s no way she can play at the moment, but I also feel that one extra match would have made it really worse and put Wimbledon in danger, but I think she stopped at exactly the right moment.”
Mouratoglou said that Williams had been in a lot of pain when serving in her warm-up on Monday. “There was no chance she could have played normal tennis,” he said. “The pain was much too strong.
“If she had played and been unable to serve normally, she would have risked making the injury much worse. That would have been really stupid. It was really disappointing. She felt she was ready for the tournament. She had worked so hard to be here. She was playing better and better and the last match against Julia Goerges was very satisfying.
“She was starting to compete well, which was something we didn’t know much about because she had not competed for a while. When she did compete in the US, in Indian Wells and Miami, she was not 100 per cent physically.
“I can’t say she was 100 per cent because she has been fitter than she was here, but coming from where she was it’s unbelievable that she was able to play like that. With two or three more weeks I think she would have been 100 per cent.”
Mouratoglou admitted that even he had doubted Williams’ motivation a few months ago but said that she had worked harder than he had ever seen in recent weeks.
Wimbledon: The greatest pictures from The Championships 50 show all Wimbledon: The greatest pictures from The Championships 1/50 Andy Murray walks of court with the trophy past the ball boys and girls on Centre court after beating Milos Raonic in 2016. Colorsport/Andrew Cowie 2/50 Serena Williams falls to the ground after winning match point on Centre Court in 2016. Colorsport / Andrew Cowie 3/50 Novak Djokovic with the trophy with Roger Federer on Centre Court, in 2015. Colorsport / Andrew Cowie 4/50 Serena Williams balances the Venus Rosewater Dish on her head with no hands as she walks off Centre Court. Colorsport / Andrew Cowie 5/50 Novak Djokovic shows off the trophy on Centre Court. Colorsport / Andrew Cowie 6/50 Petra Kvitova holds her winners Plate on Centre Court in 2014. Colorsport / Andrew Cowie 7/50 Andy Murray celebrates with the crowd after winning match point in 2013. Colorsport / Andrew Cowie 8/50 Marion Bartoli climbs up into the stand to family and coaches after beating Sabine Lisicki in 2013. Colorsport / Andrew Cowie 9/50 Andy Murray congratulates Roger Federer in 2012. Colorsport / Andrew Cowie 10/50 Serena Williams with the Ladies Plate in 2012. Colorsport / Andrew Cowie 11/50 Novak Djokovic defeats Rafael Nadal in the final of the mens singles on day thirteen at Wimbledon 2011. Ian MacNicol 12/50 Petra Kvitova with her trophy after defeating Maria Sharapova in their final match of the womens singles on day twelve at Wimbledon 2011. Ian MacNicol 13/50 Rafael Nadal beat Tomas Berdych in the 2010 final. Kieran Galvin / Colorsport 14/50 Serena Williams after beating Vera Zvonareva. Kieran Galvin / Colorsport 15/50 Roger Federer kisses the trophy after beating Andy Roddick in 2009. COLORSPORT / Cowie 16/50 Serena Williams shows off the dish to photographers in 2009. COLORSPORT / Cowie 17/50 Venus Williams (USA) walks past the Photographers on Centre Court in 2007. COLORSPORT 18/50 Rafael Nadal of Spain drops onto the grass to celebrate winning the title. Colorsport / Imago 19/50 Roger Federer with the mens trophy after winning the title for the 5th time in a row. COLORSPORT 20/50 Venus holds aloft the Ladies Shield after beating Marion Bartoli in 2007. COLORSPORT 21/50 Roger Federer with the Trophy, glances over at Rafael Nadal. COLORSPORT 22/50 Amelie Mauresmo celebrates match point. She beat Henin Hardenne in the 2006 final. COLORSPORT 23/50 Roger Federer drops to the ground after winning match point in 2005. COLORSPORT 24/50 Federer plays a shot in 2005. COLORSPORT 25/50 Serena Williams with the Ladies Shield and sister Venus Willams, in 2005. Colorsport 26/50 Maria Sharapova stunned Serena Williams in the 2004 final. 27/50 Venus Williams hugs the winners plate in 2005. COLORSPORT 28/50 Roger Federer holds aloft the Mens Singles Trophy after his straight sets victory over Mark Philippoussis in 2003. COLORSPORT 29/50 Serena and Venus Williams smilling after the 2003 Womens Final, won by Serena. COLORSPORT 30/50 Lleyton Hewitt celebrates victory in 2002. Colorsport 31/50 Goran Ivanisevic celebrates beating Tim Henman in the mens semi-final in 2001. Colorsport 32/50 Venus Williams with the Ladies trophy after defeating Justine Henin in 2001. Colorsport 33/50 Venus Williams celebrates with the Ladies winners plate after defeating Lindsey Davenport in 2001. Colorsport 34/50 Pete Sampras with The Mens singles trophy in 2000. COLORSPORT 35/50 Pete Sampras kisses the Mens Wimbledon Trophy after beating Andre Agassi in 1999. COLORSPORT 36/50 Ladies winner Lindsay Davenport with the trophy and and runner-up Steffi Graf. Colorsport / Andrew Cowie 37/50 Pete Sampras celebrates. COLORSPORT 38/50 Jana Novotna celebrates victory in 1998. COLORSPORT 39/50 In 1997 Pete Sampras got the better of Cedric Pioline. COLORSPORT 40/50 Martina Hingis holds aloft the Ladies Plate. Colorsport / Andrew Cowie 41/50 Richard Krajicek drops to the ground after winning the final on Centre Court. He beat Mal Washington. COLORSPORT 42/50 Steffi Graf shows Sanchez Vicario the Shield after the presentation on Centre Court. Colorsport 43/50 Pete Sampras shortly after beating Boris Becker in 1995. COLORSPORT 44/50 Steffi Graf celebrates after winning match point in 1995. Colorsport/ Stewart Fraser 45/50 Pete Sampras reacts after beating Goran Ivanišević 7–6(7–2), 7–6(7–5), 6–0 in the 1994 final. COLORSPORT 46/50 Conchita Martinez is the only Spanish player to have won the women's singles title at Wimbledon, where she beat Martina Navratilova to win the 1994 title. Colorsport 47/50 Steffi Graff of Germany glances over to Jana Novotna as she breaks down in tears at the presentation after losing the match. Colorsport 48/50 Sampras beat Jim Courier 7–6(7–3), 7–6(8–6), 3–6, 6–3 in the 1993 final. 49/50 Andre Agassi receives the trophy from the Duchess of Kent in 1992. 50/50 Stefi Graf shows off the ladies Plate to the crowd. Colorsport/ Stewart Fraser
“Now I don’t doubt at all that her motivation level is the maximum I’ve seen,” he said. “That might sound strange, but for her to come back is a big thing. It’s an incredible effort. She’s a mum, she wants to spend time with her family, she’s happy with that life.
“In a way she has to, not put that to one side, because obviously she spends a lot of time with her family, but she has to devote a lot of time and change her life for tennis, like travelling around the world. If she does it, it’s because she definitely wants it more than anything.”
Read more Halep has look of favourite after crushing Mertens to reach last eight
“It’s disappointing, of course, because when you pass the first week of a Grand Slam, you’re playing better and better, you feel competitive and you feel: ‘Wow, maybe I’ll lift the trophy at the end of the week.’ It’s super disappointing, for sure, but she has something else in life, a family, a baby, so I think she sees things differently.
“If it had been one year and a half ago she would have been destroyed completely. She is not destroyed. She is sad but she is also happy because she feels she is there. She feels she plays great tennis, she feels she is this close to being completely ready.”
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PARIS—Maybe the signal was clear Monday morning. Serena Williams’ name was absent from the practice schedule.
Meanwhile, at 11 a.m. on the dot, Maria Sharapova took a light jog on to Court 3 at Roland Garros. Her coach, Thomas Hogstedt, fed balls to a hitting partner. Every few minutes, Hogstedt issued a command for a specific shot sequence. True to Sharapova’s style, each time the reply was a flat, powerful drive. Focused as usual, hunched in deep concentration, Sharapova was certainly well aware that today might have been her best chance to earn a win over Williams for the first time since 2004.
And then, alas, Williams was forced to withdraw.
“I unfortunately have been having some issues with my pec, my pec muscle, and has unfortunately been getting worse to the point where right now I can't actually serve," said Williams. "It's kind of hard to play when I can't physically serve.”
Full Serena Williams press conference:
The pain had begun for Williams during Saturday evening’s singles match against Julia Goerges. It had gotten worse Sunday night during a doubles match that she and Venus had lost. There followed several hours of treatment. But the situation was clear. As Serena’s coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, told Tennis Channel this afternoon, there was “no chance she would be able to play normal tennis.”
Mouratoglou was certain that had Williams played today, the injury would have gotten worse. An ultrasound today only revealed so much. An MRI is scheduled for tomorrow.
“It is difficult, because like I keep saying, I have given up so much to be here,” said Williams. “You know, there is times where I'm on the court and I'm practicing, and I look on the monitor and I see my daughter and she's playing and I want to be there, but I know that these are the sacrifices you have to make to live out your dream. And I have made every sacrifice that I could. So it's extremely disappointing. But also, I made a promise to myself and to my coach and to my team that if I'm not at least 60 percent or 50 percent, then I probably shouldn't play.”
The sad thing was that leading up to Roland Garros, Williams had spent five weeks training as hard as Mouratoglou had ever seen her work. “It’s an incredible effort,” he said. But he also estimated that this injury would not heel rapidly. And once it healed, one couldn’t help but one wonder, how that affect Williams’ practice regimen prior to the July 2 start of Wimbledon.
“I was looking forward to my match against Serena today and am disappointed that she had to withdraw,” said Sharapova in a statement released by the WTA. “I wish her a speedy recovery and hope she returns to the tour soon.”
Patrick Mouratoglou discusses why Serena had to withdraw:
Sharapova’s likely next opponent is Garbine Muguruza. Though Sharapova has won all three of their prior matches—including a 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 rollercoaster of a quarterfinal on the way to the Roland Garros title in 2014—they haven't played one another in nearly four years. Since then, Muguruza has won Roland Garros (defeating Serena in the 2016 final) and Wimbledon (defeating Venus in the 2017 final). Beyond that, Sharapova could play the winner of the quarterfinal between Simona Halep (Sharapova’s victim in the 2014 Roland Garros final) and the woman who beat her handily at this year’s Australian Open, Angelique Kerber.
It is so strange to contemplate what occurs between Williams and Sharapova. Of course, Williams holds the edge in tennis, her 19-2 edge in matches testimony to conclusive dominance. That alone says much. And yet, Sharapova has remained equally driven to excel, snatched up her share of accolades and, like Charlie Brown about to kick that football, never stopped believing that her next match versus Serena would be victorious.
It was one of those cases where it was easy to feel bad for both players, a pair of 30-plus veterans who rank among the greatest competitors in history—not just tennis, but all of sports. One hopes to see them stare across the net from one another once again.
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TRIBUNNEWS.COM, PARIS - Nasib sial dialami eks petenis tunggal putri nomor satu dunia dari Amerika Serikat, Serena Williams , pada turnamen French Open alias Roland Garros 2018 .
Gara-gara dihantam cedera otot pectoral, Serena Williams yang semula dijadwalkan bertarung melawan salah satu rival abadinya, Maria Sharapova (Rusia), terpaksa mengundurkan diri.
Dengan demikian, Sharapova melaju ke perempat final tanpa mengeluarkan setetes keringkat pun.
Pada putaran delapan besar, Sharapova akan menjumpai pemenang duel antara Garbine Muguruza (Spanyol) dan Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraina).
Serena Williams mengaku mulai merasakan sakit di bagian otot pectoral saat melakoni laga nomor ganda putri bersama sang kakak, Venus Williams, kemarin.
Pada pertandingan itu, Serena mencoba memakai taping dan sejumlah alat pendukung, tetapi hal tersebut tidak memberi dampak positif.
"Saat ini, saya tidak bisa melepas servis, jadi sangat sulit untuk bertanding ketika saya tidak bisa melepas servis," tutur Serena.
"Saya sangat kecewa. Saya mengorbankan banyak waktu dengan putri saya dan juga keluarga. Jadi, sangat sulit berada dalam situasi ini," kata Serena lagi.
Lebih lanjut, Serena Williams juga menyesali kegagalannya bertanding melawan Maria Sharapova.
Kolektor 23 titel Grand Slam ini mengakui bahwa dia sangat menyukai laga melawan Sharapova.
"Laga tersebut adalah pertandingan yang selalu membangkitkan saya. Jelas sangat mengecewakan, tetapi saya sudah berjanji kepada diri sendiri kalau kondisi saya tidak mencapai 50 persen, saya tidak usah bertanding," kata Serena.
"Saya tidak pernah merasa seperti ini dalam hidup. Ini sangat menyakitkan. Saya cukup sering mendapat cedera, tetapi bukan cedera ini," ujar petenis 36 tahun itu lagi.
