Serena Williams’ legendary tennis career likely over after third-round singles’ play loss at US Open
Serena Williams’ retirement looms large following her loss in the third round of the US Open in New York.
The three-time Wimbledon champion has won a record 10 in a row and 22 grand slam singles titles — all of which could vanish for good as Williams struggles to recapture her recent form in the months ahead.
Here are three things to watch for in the second half of Williams’ campaign and what might happen post-US Open.
World number one Williams has become one of the most prominent examples in tennis of a “gambler’s curse.” The 30-year-old retired after two defeats in her last three tournaments: the Australian Open in January and US Open at the end of September.
Williams lost to Caroline Wozniacki in the third round of the Australian Open and then defeated Caroline Garcia in the quarter-finals of the US Open when she was still world number one.
When Wozniacki won the title in January, Williams became the first woman since Margaret Court in 1985 to claim the world number one ranking for the second time. The following month, Williams also became the first woman since Billie Jean King in 1977 to win the Wimbledon singles title three times in a row.
But things didn’t go according to plan for Williams. Four sets down in the US Open, she was defeated in the quarter-finals by a resurgent Petra Kvitova.
Williams’ ranking has slipped to No. 5 this year behind the likes of Wozniacki, Agnieszka Radwańska, Serena’s brother Alexis and Victoria Azarenka.
But Williams’ form in the second half of the year has been much improved and is more akin to what she was like when she was at her peak. A win on Saturday would be her 26th grand slam singles win.
Even though she has won 16 of her last 20 tournaments, Williams has dropped the number of Grand Slam singles titles she has won, from a record 19 at the start of her career to 15 so far.
Her ranking has dropped from No. 3 at the start of the year to No. 5
