EActually the prospects are almost never good. Six players from the top ten have canceled the US Open in New York, which starts on Monday, because a trip to the corona-plagued United States is too risky for them. So who but Serena Williams is going to win at Flushing Meadows? Who should stop the 38-year-old on her way to her long-awaited 24th title in a Grand Slam tournament? The answer is: Serena Williams herself.
Because a few days before the start of the tennis tournament, which takes place under strict hygienic conditions, Williams is still looking for her form. At the Masters event, which was moved from Cincinnati to New York, Williams lost on Tuesday (local time) in the round of 16 against the Greek Maria Sakkari 7: 5, 6: 7 (5: 7), 1: 6. She has played five games since her comeback after the month-long Corona break, five times she had to go over three sets. And twice in the end she ran out of breath, as she did now against Sakkari.
“I should have won this game, there is no excuse for that,” said Williams annoyed after the defeat. “I had so many opportunities to win. I have to figure out how to win these games, ”said Williams, making an interesting comparison. At the end of the day, on the pitch, it felt like “dating a guy who you know is annoying,” said the 38-year-old star player: “It just doesn’t make sense and it’s frustrating.”
Especially physically, Williams was not yet in Grand Slam form. In the end, the longtime number one struggled with cramps and, after giving up a 5-3 lead in the second set, was completely without a chance in the third round. “I had cramps, yes, but I shouldn’t have been in the situation,” said the American, but also said beforehand: “Playing nine hours in a week is too much for me. I don’t play that much normally. “
In order to really win a Grand Slam tournament at the US Open for the 24th time and thus draw level with the controversial Australian Margaret Court, Williams must find a way to save strength, especially in the first rounds against supposedly weaker opponents. For more than three years she has been waiting for her next Grand Slam triumph, the last time she triumphed in Melbourne in 2017 at the Australian Open – at the time already pregnant.
Since returning after the birth of her daughter Olympia, she has been in a Grand Slam final four times, but the darn 24th title simply does not want to succeed. A year ago, she surprisingly lost in the final in New York against the Canadian Bianca Andreescu. In its current form, even reaching the final would be a success.
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