According to coach Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams will be in top shape for her title hunt in Wimbledon (2 to 15 July), despite her withdrawal before the French Open round of 16 against Maria Sharapova.
In retrospect, the heavy-heartedly cancelled match against Sharapova may have been a decisive factor when Serena Williams stretched the Rosewater Dish, the plate-like and silver winner’s trophy, into the sky of Wimbledon on July 14.
“It was absolutely right not to play this game in Paris, because Serena couldn’t serve. Besides, it would have been an incredible risk, the muscle could have ruptured. He was close,” Williams coach Mouratoglou told BBC Radio 5.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner had not entered the duel with her arch-rival Sharapova due to a chest muscle injury. Previously Williams had defeated Julia Görges (Bad Oldesloe) in the third round. The superstar from the USA had played his first Grand Slam tournament at the French Open since the birth of daughter Alexis Olympia in September 2017.
Despite the injury, Mouratoglou is optimistic that 36-year-old Williams has the best chance of triumphing on the sacred turf of Church Road for the eighth time since her 2002 debut coup.
“Within two weeks she can recover and then return to punching training. After that, she still has 15 days to work hard on her fitness and improve her speed on the court,” said Mouratoglou, who stressed: “I think she’s got her level back. What’s more, at Wimbledon she has this little advantage: Serena has this serve to free herself from difficult situations.”
After Roland Garros’ injury-related setback, the former number one did not let her mood spoil and visited Disneyland in Paris with her husband Alexis Ohanian and their daughter. Recharge your batteries for the “Number 8” mission at the world’s most important tennis tournament. Should this win in July, no other major event would win as often as Wimbledon.
As in the turf Mecca, she has won seven times in Australia, six times at the US Open – and three times in Roland Garros. “And I finally came back to win majors,” Williams had stated over and over again.