Serena Williams reveals her injury problems

Serena Williams won her first title since 2017 at the Auckland Open last month. The 23-time Grand Slam champion had been to several finals since she returned from her maternity absence. After her comeback, a combination of bad luck and injuries made Serena wait for two years before winning her first singles title.

Serena struggled with injuries last season

Last season, Serena spent a lot of time off the court after suffering sustaining several injuries. She reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open but lost to Karolina Pliskova after twisting her ankle during the match. The American’s injury issues persisted as she retired from the Indian Wells and withdrew from the Miami Open after injuring her knee.

The knee injury kept Serena out of most of the clay-court season but she recovered in time for the French Open where she lost in the third round to Sofia Kenin. Serena was back in form at Wimbledon. Williams reached the final but lost out to Simona Halep. The 38-year-old would also make the final at the Rogers Cup in Toronto but had to retire from her match against Bianca Andreescu after suffering back spasms. The two would meet again in the US Open final but Serena lost the match 6-3, 7-5.

Every time I try to play, something happens

The combination of injuries and bad luck led to Serena finishing the season without winning a title despite reaching three tournament finals. The 38-year-old was relieved after she began the season by winning in Auckland. However, she had a disappointing run at the Australian Open. The world No.9 exited in the third round after Chinese player Wang Qiang recorded a surprise victory. Serena has spoken about her injuries and her recent upset in Australia. In a recent interview, world number nine admitted that injuries slowed her down last season. “To be honest, I always try to play. I just am constantly injured. Last year I rolled my ankle and was out for several weeks.” Regarding her early exit in Australia, Serena had a light view of the loss. “Every time I try to play, something happens. This year I was like, let me exit Australia early so I could play Fed Cup.”

Serena participated in Team USA’s Fed Cup qualifier against Latvia. She won her match against Jelena Ostapenko but lost to Anastasija Sevastova. However, her team still qualified after Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Kenin won the deciding doubles match. Team USA will be among the favorites to win the Fed Cup Finals in Budapest this April. Serena will not play in any WTA tournament this month but will return to action in early March for the American swing of the tour.

Serena Williams’s ranking and performance in 2020

Now the world no.9, the American played her last match on the 8^th of February when she capitulated to Anastasija Sevastova 7-6⁵ 3-6 7-6⁴ in the Rubber 4 in Fed Cup.

Currently, this year Serena Williams has a 8-2 win-loss record. Serena Williams clinched 1 title in Auckland.