The former Wimbledon champion and one of the greatest players in the women’s game, departed in the third round after a dismal tournament — struggling through her first two rounds before finally capitulating in a two-set defeat to Jill Craybas, as dusk settled over west London.
Williams was devastated by the loss. Declaring it, “horrible” and saying, between tears and sniffles, that she was unable to use words to describe her feelings because “the only words I can use are all foul. I didn’t do anything right. I would have been better off staying away . . . it’s really strange for me. The last time I lost in the third round of a slam was in about 1998. I didn’t need this at all. I’m so upset.”
In a game punctuated by errors, Serena struggled throughout. Her biggest hits flew out of court and the strength and aggression for which she is known, proved to be insufficient to knock out Craybas.
An apparent lack of fitness constrained her play and left her huffing and puffing for breath. She showed frustration and anger at her own inferiority, smashing her racket on the floor and frowning desperately to herself. She looked uncomfortable and distraught. It was a sad way for a former champion to depart. Had Serena won, she would have met her sister, Venus, in the fourth round. Now that delight awaits Craybas, who has the misfortune of stumbling into the paths of both sisters in two days.
The careers of the Williams sisters have developed together — running alongside each other since they bounded on to the scene 10 years ago. They were the giants of the women’s game. Just two girls from the wrong side of the tracks with blistering ground strokes, fierce serves and a blinding determination to be the best female players the world had ever seen. And they were.
Advertisement
These brilliant women — half tennis-brat, half genius — redefined the women’s game. They changed the perceptions and expectations of those who watched it, and slowly they have changed the way that others play it, which is why their ascendancy was stopped in its tracks so abruptly last night. Because the rest of the world has caught up.
Now it is just Venus left to fly the Williams flag after going through in two sets yesterday, beating Daniela Hantuchova. The game began as a battle between the tactician and the terrorist.
Hantuchova tried to outwit her opponent with cleverly-placed shots, while the former Wimbledon champion adopted her traditional smash-the-ball-to-bits approach, every time she got near it. Hantuchova was on top for much of the first set before Williams got into her stride. Her nifty play threw Williams completely. Hantuchova did the thinking and Williams did the hitting. She sent the former world No 1 backwards and forwards across the court. Under pressure, Williams lost accuracy in the pursuit of speed and strength.
Williams was on the back foot but, still, she did not panic. Hantuchova continued to mix it up, sneaking into the net on serves and volleys, keeping up with Williams on the baseline rallies and throwing in some low ground shots. But neither woman sneaked ahead. They traded game for game until they reached 5-5, then everything changed.
A line call went against Hantuchova. The Slovakian was convinced the ball was out. Television replays afterwards confirmed that it was.
Advertisement
Hantuchova made a brief appeal then returned to the baseline but she was clearly flustered. It threw her confidence and distracted her to such an extent that she began unravelling in front of Williams. Like a lion upon her prey, Williams upped her game and played some of her best tennis.
She pursued Hantuchova relentlessly, breaking her serve for the first time.
Hantuchova rallied in the next game but her mind was barely on the tennis. She looked up into the crowd, appearing to mouth something to Williams’ father. Mr Williams, meanwhile, was hopping around, clutching one of his trainers in his hand and laughing heartily.
Hantuchova’s concentration had gone and with it, the set. In the second set, Venus’s job was easier. She moved to a quick 3-0 lead before taking the match from her rival.
Now it remains for Venus to avenge her sister’s vanquisher, and for Serena to contemplate her future and attempt to regain her fitness.