Serena: Girls Play As If They Are On the ATP Tour Against Me

News

Scores

Rankings

Lucky Letcord Podcast

Shop

Pro Gear

Pickleball

Gear Sale

Popular This Week

Casper Ruud and Maria Galligana Are Engaged

Love Match: Madison Keys Marries Bjorn Fratangelo

WTA Awards Nominees for 2024

ITF President Haggerty: Davis Cup Won't Return to Be...

ATP Award Nominees Announced for 2024

Sinner's Extraordinary 2024, By the Numbers

Bob Bryan on U.S. Davis Cup Doubles Decision

Serena: Girls Play As If They Are On the ATP Tour Against Me

While speaking to press after her 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 loss to Alize Cornet in Wimbledon’s third round on Saturday, a dejected Serena Williams said that it’s difficult to be in her shoes because so many players on the WTA Tour come up with their most inspired efforts when they play her.

Wimbledon Installs Champion's Gate on Centre Court

“I think everyone in general plays the match of their lives against me,” Williams said. “So I'm pretty sure that the next match, it won't be the same. So I just have to always, every time I step on the court, be a hundred times better. If I'm not, then I'm in trouble.”

Williams has now failed to reach the quarterfinals of all three Grand Slams in 2014, losing in the fourth round at Australia to Ana Ivanovic, the second round of Roland Garros to Garbine Muguruza, and in the third round of Wimbledon to Cornet.

“Australia, I just couldn't play,” Williams said, eluding to the back injury that hampered her movement. “And Paris I played really bad. Here I actually thought I played better. I came into the tournament in better form. You know, I thought I was doing pretty decent. I think I'm going to have to watch this film and see what I can do better and what went wrong.”

Williams credited Cornet for her fine play, saying, “Well, she kept her unforced errors really low. I don't know… You know, she was going for her shots. Yeah, she played really well today.”

Later in the press conference, the 17-time Grand Slam champion admitted that it’s tough for her to be the player that everybody is always gunning for. Williams has been seeded No. 1 at Wimbledon five times. The first three times she managed two titles and a runner-up performance. But in each of the last two times she was the top seed (2013, 2014), she failed to make it to the quarterfinals.

The 32-year-old was bidding to become the second-oldest Grand Slam title winner in WTA history, behind only Martina Navratilova.

“It's difficult,” Williams said. “Like I said, if I'm not playing, you know, a great, great match, these girls when they play me, they play as if they're on the ATP Tour, and then they play other girls completely different. It's never easy, you know, being in my shoes. But you have to be ready.”

Posted: