Williams pulls out of French Open
Latest bid for a 24th Slam title ends after an injured Achilles tendon flares up.
Serena Williams leaves before second- round match, says she’s likely done for 2020 because of an Achilles injury.
PARIS — Serena Williams laughed at her own jokes and sounded an upbeat tone — or one as positive, at least, as could be expected from a player whose latest bid for a record- tying 24th Grand Slam title ended because of injury, as did her season, probably.
Williams tried to warm up for her second- round match at Roland Garros on Wednesday but huddled afterward with her coach and determined that if walking on the Achilles tendon she hurt at the U. S. Open nearly three weeks ago was difficult, then trying to run and compete made little sense.
“If it was my knee, that would be more really devastating for me. But this is something that just happened, and it’s super acute. That’s totally different. I feel like my body is actually doing really, really well,” said Williams, who turned 39 on Saturday. “I just ran into, for lack of a better word, bad timing and bad luck, really, in New York.”
Williams withdrew about an hour before she would have played Tsvetana Pironkova at Court Philippe Chatrier, her earliest exit from a major tournament in six years and the most significant development in Paris on Day 4, which also included a straight- set loss by U. S. Open runner- up Victoria Azarenka and straightforward wins for Rafael
Nadal and Dominic Thiem over a couple of American men.
“That’s disappointing on many levels, of course,” said John Isner, the 21st- seeded man who was beaten in four sets by 20- year- old American qualifier Sebastian Korda. “It’s disappointing personally for Serena, but it’s disappointing for the tournament and for tennis fans worldwide.”
Williams’ departure, and the 10th- seeded Azarenka’s 6- 2, 6- 2 dismissal by 161stranked Anna Karolina Schmiedlova — someone who lost 13 straight Grand Slam matches until defeating Williams’ sister, Venus, earlier this week — meant none of the four female semif inalists at Flushing Meadows made it past the second round at Roland Garros.
Champion Naomi Osaka didn’t make the trip to France at all; No. 21 seed Jennifer Brady was upset in her opening match by a 17- yearold qualifier.
In other matches, American teenager Coco Gauff ’s French Open debut ended after she double- faulted 19 times in a 4- 6, 6- 2, 7- 5 loss to Martina Trevisan, Kei Nishikori’s first Grand Slam tournament since having right elbow surgery and contracting the coronavirus ended in a loss, and Kiki Bertens, apparently struggling with cramps, left the court in a wheelchair after a three- set win over 2012 finalist Sara Errani.
The French Open’s start was postponed to September from May because of the COVID- 19 pandemic, and there were plenty of questions beforehand about what effects there would be from the quick and unusual shift from North America to Europe, from hard courts to red clay.
It was in the third set of Williams’ semifinal against Azarenka at Flushing Meadows that Williams stretched her left Achilles tendon while chasing a shot.
“Didn’t have enough time to properly heal after the Open. I was able to get it somewhat better, but just looking long- term in this tournament, will I be able to get through enough matches? And so, for me, I don’t think I could,” Williams said Wednesday.
She played with a vertical strip of black athletic tape along her Achilles during her f irst- round match Monday, but there were no other obvious signs of trouble during the 7- 6 ( 2), 6- 0 victory over Kristie Ahn.
Williams said she needs a month or more now of “sitting and doing nothing” because of the injury, meaning her 2020 is “more than likely” done.