Serena Williams Loses At French Open And Federer withdraws of the tournament a week after Naomi Osaka pulled out, citing a need for a mental health break.
Serena Williams Exits French Open After Losing to Elena Rybakina in Fourth Round
Serena Williams lost 6-3, 7-5 in straight sets against Elena Rybakina during the fourth round of the French Open on Sunday
She did not make a comeback against a much younger and less-experienced opponent at Roland Garros, losing 6-3, 7-5 to Elena Rybakina.
Having lost 14 times at the French Open, Williams’s win-loss record stands at 69-14. Williams, a three-time French Open champion, hasn’t reached the fourth round of Roland-Garros since 2016, when she finished runner-up.
Williams, who turns 40 in September, isn’t even considering retirement yet.
“Yeah, I’m definitely not thinking about it at all. I’m definitely thinking just about other things, but not about that,”
she said, according to ESPN.
Next for Williams is Wimbledon, which begins June 28. She will have a chance to score her 24th Grand Slam title there.
“I’m kind of excited to switch surfaces,”
She said of Wimbledon’s grass court after exiting Roland-Garros’ clay court.
“Historically, I have done pretty well on grass.”
Federer pulled out of the French Open on Saturday after being challenged hard by Dominik Koepfer in their third-round meeting. Nonetheless, Federer won in four sets, 7-6 6-7 7-6 7-5, and ended up withdrawing from the tournament early.
Swiss star Federer had earlier disclosed he considered pulling out of the tournament due to his grueling late match. He said
“After discussions with my team, I’ve decided I will need to pull out of the French Open today,” Federer said in the statement.
“After two knee surgeries and over a year of rehabilitation it’s important that I listen to my body and make sure I don’t push myself too quickly on my road to recovery.
“I am thrilled to have gotten three matches under my belt. There is no greater feeling than being back on court.”
With three of the greatest and most popular players leaving the French Open field, it was quite a blow to the tournament, its TV partners and tennis fans.
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