After being eliminated from the competition in the first round on Tuesday by rookie Harmony Tan, Serena Williams is unsure if she will play at Wimbledon again.
After surrendering the first set, Williams battled back to win the second set, but she was unable to build on her early lead in the third and final set, falling to Tan in a tie-break game.
After missing a year due to injuries, the 23-time Grand Slam champion succumbed to Tan 7-5 1-6 7-6 (10-7) in a match that lasted over three hours.
“That’s a question I can’t answer. I don’t know. Who knows where I’ll pop up?”
When asked if this was her final Wimbledon appearance, Williams responded.
“I gave all I could do. Maybe tomorrow I could have given more. Maybe a week ago I could have given more. But today was what I could do. At some point, you have to be able to be OK with that.”
Williams said she expects to build on Wimbledon when the US Open starts in August as she chases Maria Court’s record of 24 Majors single victories.
“When you’re at home, especially in New York and that being the place I first won a Grand Slam, it is always special,” she remarked.
“There’s always motivation to get better and play at home.
“When you’re that close – any other opponent would have better suited my game – I absolutely believe it’s like, OK Serena, you can do it if you want,” said Serena. “It makes me want to hit the practice courts.”
Seven times, Serena Williams has triumphed at Wimbledon.
