Virus ends Williams’ Wimbledon
Video A mystery virus has ended the Wimbledon campaign of Serena Williams. A wobbly Serena struggled to clear the net with her service game leading one commentator to say ‘her shadow would stand a better chance at the moment’ The younger of the sister has vowed to Wimbledon.
Serena, the world’s top-ranked woman in singles, is suffering from a viral illness, Wimbledon organisers said. She saw a doctor on court before the start of the match against Kristina Barrois of Germany and Switzerland’s Stefanie Voegele.
The Williams sisters, who have each won five singles championships here as well as five as doubles partners, trailed 3-0 after five double faults. Struggling with coordination and picking up the ball from the court, Serena served successive times into the net before hitting balls almost to the baseline.
‘I am heartbroken I’m not able to continue in the tournament,’ Serena said in a written statement provided by organisers that thanked fans for their cheers and understanding. ‘I thought I could rally this morning, because I really wanted to compete, but this bug just got the best of me. I look forward to returning to Wimbledon next year.’
Serena, 32, was ousted from the singles tournament in the third round on Saturday by France’s Alize Cornet, meaning the No. 1 hasn’t reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal all year after winning two of the majors in 2013. Venus, 34, also lost in the third round.
‘I don’t know what’s going on, I haven’t seen her in the last two days,’ Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena’s coach, said in an interview.
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