According to the latest information from overseas, Serena Williams withdrew from Roland Garros due to an Achilles injury.
The 39-year old legend finished her French Open adventure before even starting it. Her dreams about winning the 24th Grand Slam trophy, which would tie her with Margaret Court at the top of the all-time list are also crushed,
Williams stated that recovery is the most important goal for her now, and to do so, she will need to rest at least one month.
“I think I need four to six weeks of sitting and doing nothing,” Williams said.
The legendary player also stated that she doesn’t want to risk anything, especially at this time of her career. Achilles can create a lot of problems, which could cause some more challenging consequences.
Serena Williams has withdrawn from #RolandGarros with an achilles injury. pic.twitter.com/u6vGa9JCkX
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) September 30, 2020
This injury has been around since the US Open semis. Williams lost the match against Victoria Azarenka while hurting her ACL too. She managed to eliminate Kristie Ahn in the first round here in Paris, 2-0, 7-5, 6-0, but the issues that appeared following the match became more and more serious, which is why she decided to pull out.
Serena was one of the top favorites for winning the title here. After the first round, the bookies picked her as the fifth candidate for the silverware, besides Simona Halep, Garbine Muguruza, Azarenka, and Elina Svitolina.
As a three-time champ in Paris and arguably the biggest name in the ladies’ tennis today, Serena’s chances were quite solid.
Over the past two years, Williams lost four Grand Slam finals, two at Wimbledon, and two at the US Open. Her hopes were high before the start of this year, and she did look in good shape once the campaign started. Still, the COVID-19 pandemic ruined the plans for many players, among them Serena’s as well.
"I always give a hundred per cent… and I take solace in that."@serenawilliams #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/t9FNt49Prb
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) September 30, 2020
As time goes by, her prospects of reaching Court are getting slimmer and slimmer, and withdrawing from Paris is another massive blow for the 23-time Grand Slam winner. However, it is a very smart move, because the American isn’t willing to risk aggravating her condition for what seems to be a lost battle.
Knowing Serena and her mentality, as well as her physical shape, if she recovers well, and has a solid preparation period before the start of the next season, one of the best-ever could easily win the Australian Open and reach the goal.