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Serena Backs Kvitova’s Decision to Take Tennis Sabbatical



After Serena Williams’ 6-2, 6-3 loss to Petra Kvitova on Friday in Madrid, the world No. 1 said that she commended Kvitova for having the courage to take some time off when she was feeling mentally and physically exhausted.

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Williams, who has been known to carefully manage her schedule so that she avoids burnout, believes that many people on the tour would make the mistake of trying to play through it.

“Because most people don't do it,” she said when asked why she approved of Kvitova’s decision to skip Indian Wells and Miami in order to take a 10-day beach vacation before slowly begin playing on her own terms. “Most people play through it and maybe go down a level or don't play well because they really need to take some time off. So they end up losing confidence and not playing as good as they can. She was wise enough to realize that she needed a break, and she was able to be able do well.”

As far as her own exhaustion, Williams seemed upbeat about the loss which snapped her 27-match winning streak, perhaps believing that it was about time for her to have a weekend off. “I'm just exhausted today,” she said. “This has been a rough week for me. It's all part of the clay though. It's really good to be really exhausted now going into another tournament, and then getting ready for Roland Garros.

“So this is all great preparation that I actually really, really needed, something to really push me on a wall and push me to the limit… It's perfect timing. So hopefully I'll be able to continue from this.”

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