wimbledon, england — There was a thrilling audacity about what Serena and Venus Williams attempted at Wimbledon this year.
Sidelined by illness and injury for 11 and five months, respectively, the Williams sisters chose the sport’s grandest stage to return to competition with only minimal preparation.
Defending champion Serena Williams was eliminated by Marion Bartoli 6-3, 7-6 in the fourth round of Wimbledon on Monday, cutting short her return to Grand Slam tennis after nearly a year out with serious health problems. (June 27)
A down year at the All England club
The decision was much like their shots: bold and full of risk, given their sterling resumes at the All England club, where they have combined to win nine of the last 11 Wimbledon titles. Yet an all-Williams final looked increasingly plausible even amid its implausibility.
Their march to the final was halted in unequivocal terms Monday by less imposing players who have neither a Grand Slam title nor appreciable name recognition between them. As a result, the Wimbledon’s women’s quarterfinals will be without an American for only the third time since Grand Slam tournaments agreed to allow professionals compete alongside amateurs back in 1968.
Serena, Wimbledon’s defending and four-time champion, was ushered off by Marion Bartoli of France, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6). Venus followed 1 hour 40 minutes later, turning in an error-strewn performance against Tsvetana Pironkova, the Bulgarian who beat her by the same score, 6-2, 6-3, at Wimbledon last year.
With Venus 31 and Serena three months shy of her 30th birthday, it’s difficult to imagine they can reclaim world-beating form many more times, if ever.
“It’s hard to come back the older you are — physically and mentally,” said former pro Mary Joe Fernandez. The Williams sisters “have done it before successfully. And I’m sure we’re going to see another good run by both of them. But it’s harder to recover and harder to stay positive.”
Unless the sisters reclaim a place among the top 10 and sustain it, the United States likely is in for a fallow period in women’s tennis.
“We’re not going to see any number-one players [apart from the Williams sisters] for another four or five years,” Chris Evert, a three-time Wimbledon victor, said bluntly in an interview Monday. Evert now runs a tennis academy in South Florida and keeps an eye on prospects in the pipeline.
“When I’m at my academy . . . I look at what’s around there,” Evert said. “Really, the 15- and 16-year-olds are good, but I don’t see any 18- or 19-year-olds. I see four to five years before we see somebody. That’s not to say these players can’t be top 20, but I don’t see any number ones.”
Wimbledon’s early rounds underscored the stark reality. The 128-player women’s field included 12 Americans. Their ranks were culled quickly. Only three (the Williams sisters and Bethanie Mattek-Sands) advanced to the second round. Only the sisters made it to Round 3.
The prospects aren’t as bleak for American men. Minnesota native Mardy Fish, 29, toppled sixth-seed Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-4 on Monday to earn a spot in the quarterfinals for the first time in his career.
And the losses by Serena and Venus, seeded seventh and 23rd, weren’t as shocking as the defeat of No. 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki, who fell Monday to Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova, 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5.
The Post MostMost-viewed stories, videos, and galleries in the past two hours
Loading...
Comments