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Jun/18

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Maria TKOs Serena at Roland Garros


Serena Williams decided to pass on the much-anticipated R16 showdown with her arch-rival Maria Sharapova at Roland Garros. The American has withdrawn from the tournament with an arm injury.

“I unfortunately have been having some issue with my pec [pectoral] muscle,” she said to a group of reporters in a press conference. “Right now I can’t actually serve, so it’s hard to play. I can’t physically serve.”

“It’s very difficult because I love playing Maria. Her game matches so well against mine.”

Williams said she first senses the injury during her third-round victory over Germany’s Julia Goerges. She said she tried to apply a strap to her shoulder to protect the muscle but the precautionary measure was unsuccessful in her doubles defeat with sister Venus Williams on Sunday.

“It didn’t start before I got here,” Williams added. “It was really painful and I didn’t know what it was. I’m going to get an MRI tomorrow, I’ll stay here and see some doctors here, but I won’t know about [Wimbledon] before that.”

“I’m beyond disappointed. I gave up so much – time with my daughter time with my family I put everything on the court all for this moment. So it’s really difficult to be in the situation. [But] I try to think positive and think of the bigger picture, the next events and the rest of the year.”

Was it a duck move by Serena? Is this injury a smokescreen for insecurity about the level of her game right now? Was Serena intimidated by Maria’s performances during the first week of Roland Garros? Does Serena feel unsure about if she can beat her greatest antagonist?

On the surface, maybe not. But if you have doubts about everything you hear and most tennis player injuries, well then …

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82 comments

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 6, 2018 at 7:31 am

    Dan, Leif Shiras liked my tweet to him about that, winning a MS1000 or a mixed major, and asked it on the air on TC. It’s a close call. Both glorious in their own ways. Cecchinato is really a marvel now. Italian tennis is exploding now, Fog, Cecchinato and Berretini is a very promising player too. Don’t forget Quinzi is out there. Fabbiano is rising. Lorenzi is a warhorse.

  • catherine · June 6, 2018 at 9:15 am

    Kerber wins the 1st t/b set v Simona and Muguruza has won the first set and looks in charge v Sharapova !

    Perhaps Simona is ‘injured’. At one point Angie was 5-1.

  • catherine · June 6, 2018 at 9:26 am

    Garbine gets her mojo back and out goes Maria in SS. Cornet must be seething – nice girls don’t always finish first 🙂

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 6, 2018 at 9:31 am

    Read a tweet that the women’s match on Chatrier had a lot of empty seats. Boy that crowd noise at Djokovic yesterday was as exhilarating as you will ever hear in a tennis stadium. Djokovic sure is a crowd thriller. Nice to see his wife heavily and emotionally engaged in the match from her back row seat (used to sit front row). Djokovic still has the fight but his physical strength seems down. Or these guys are getting stronger now. Djokovic mental power may be weakened because he’s just not able to overpower everyone like before. Prime Djokovic would have mopped the court up with Cecchinato.

  • Hartt · June 6, 2018 at 9:48 am

    Gaby’s doubles partner, Xu, wants to concentrate on doubles, and Dabrowski is accommodating that, so she isn’t playing much in the way of singles. In all honesty, given the high caliber of play on the WTA these days, I doubt Gaby would have a lot of success in singles. Although her net skills and understanding of where to hit the ball in doubles are key, she doesn’t have the power, etc., for singles.

    But she did say the prize $ from last year’s RG did help her pay for more coaching.

  • Hartt · June 6, 2018 at 9:52 am

    Muguruza did mop the court with Sharapova, winning 6-2, 6-1. This match was a good indication of where Maria really is in the scheme of things.

  • catherine · June 6, 2018 at 9:55 am

    Scoop – what’s the point of your comment ? That Djokovic has more drawing power than Muruza/Sharapova ? Djoko has more drawing power than a lot of men.

    What I thought was that an injured Serena could have disposed of Maria today.

    Looks like Simona is going to run out 3rd set v Kerber.

  • Joe Blow · June 6, 2018 at 10:02 am

    Proof the powers that be don’t think much of Women’s tennis:

    Number 1 woman going into 3 rd set of QF against a former #1, and Tennis Channel blows off coverage to show first game of a men’s 5 setter

  • catherine · June 6, 2018 at 10:08 am

    Tennis Channel is a disgrace. Not just with that kind of decision, which is indefensible, but their whole monopoly of Roland Garros.

    I wish this men/women battle would stop. I really do.

  • Duke Carnoustie · June 6, 2018 at 10:09 am

    The French notoriously don’t care about women’s tennis. They would all rather eat baguettes than watch those matches. It’s actually a great deal on the secondary market that you can get into a Slam final so cheaply – I was at the Henin-Ivanovic final and paid maybe 30 euros for the ticket.

    Scoop has a great Twitter account. I don’t have an account myself but I do look at it. If you like his opinions on this site, you get even more per day on his Twitter so I highly recommend.

  • catherine · June 6, 2018 at 10:19 am

    The French care ok if a Frenchwoman wins it. But when did that last happen ?

  • Chazz · June 6, 2018 at 10:22 am

    Fritz goes down to De Minaur 6-4, 7-6. We know how good De Minaur is but that’s a a loss that shouldn’t happen for Fritz given his game is well suited for grass surface.

  • catherine · June 6, 2018 at 10:31 am

    Simona wins 6/7 6/3 6/2 – and that’s the end of the dirt for Angie who reached her 1st qf at RG since 2012.

  • Duke Carnoustie · June 6, 2018 at 12:44 pm

    Bad loss for Fritz. At least he hasn’t reached the DY or Kozlov depths.

    How do we handicap the Maddie-Sloane match? Can the Mad Dog bite back?

    Looks like the rain saved Rafa – the greats know how to leverage these breaks.

  • Chazz · June 6, 2018 at 1:02 pm

    Schwartzman-Nadal went from exciting to boring/predictable with one rain delay. Diego was up a set and a break and looked in control. Then the rain happened and he and Nadal switched places.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 6, 2018 at 1:46 pm

    The French get excited for certain women’s matches, I can remember the crowd being in a fevered pitch for Pierce beating Sanchez Vicario, Graf beating Hingis in the final, and Schiavone vs Stosur among others. But yes, the majority of matches in Paris played by the ladies do not reach that level of exhilaration which happens more frequently with men’s matches. Just the truth.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 6, 2018 at 1:48 pm

    Hewitt and Bolt won doubles again, beating top seed Qreshi and Sharan to make the semis. SS win for Hewitt and Bolt. de Minaur beating Fritz is not an upset or a bad loss for either, both are around the same level.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 6, 2018 at 1:49 pm

    Curious how rain delays or darkness delays seem to favor Nadal.

  • catherine · June 6, 2018 at 2:11 pm

    Actually Scoop, I think Rafa controls the weather and rain and darkness descend just at the right time for him.

    It’s not fair.

    (Italians enjoy women’s tennis even less than the French – one year the women’s tournament was driven out of Rome altogether and took place on a piazza in Perugia. And Steffi stopped playing in Italy after an Italian journalist said she had a face like a potato.)

  • Chazz · June 6, 2018 at 2:15 pm

    Well Scoop, Blake and Annacone talked extensively about how it helped Nadal. He was able to regain his focus and Schwartzman lost his.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 6, 2018 at 3:10 pm

    Didn’t Rochus insinuate that Nadal took some kind of PED or pill during these breaks? Anyone remember this?

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 6, 2018 at 3:13 pm

  • Duke Carnoustie · June 6, 2018 at 3:36 pm

    Sandgren pulls out of hertogenbosch. He could be back on the challenge circuit soon.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 6, 2018 at 8:42 pm

    He’s not a very strong grass court player, saw him lose a tough one to Dancevic at Newport last year.

  • catherine · June 7, 2018 at 2:42 am

    Someone’s sneaked a way to put up some longer highlights from RG. But I’m betting that won’t last 12 hrs before TC blocks them. Disgraceful I call it 🙂

  • catherine · June 7, 2018 at 3:22 am

    In her MTO you could see Kerber’s left foot was heavily taped plus a blister which may explain why she was a bit tentative through that match. Not the way to be v Simona. She didn’t say anything about it though.

    Those two used to exchange warm Continental Kisses at the net. Now their handshake is a lot cooler. Maybe Angie’s fed up with Simona constantly crossing herself. I don’t know any other player who does that so often.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 7, 2018 at 7:36 am

    Catherine, why would anyone be offended by an opponent crossing their self? You are not implying Kerber is a satan woshipper are you? 🙂 A lot of players do it, Del Potro, Sandgren, Steve Johnson, to name but a few.

  • catherine · June 7, 2018 at 8:19 am

    I don’t mean to joke about anyone’s religious beliefs and Simona, being a devout Catholic, has every right to cross herself, but she seems to be doing it more lately, or I’m seeing it more – she’s an Orthodox Catholic and the sign is different, maybe that’s why I notice.

    I think Angie is a Catholic as well (Polish side), so I’m sure that wouldn’t bother her – but their net exchanges are definitely not outwardly as warm as they used to be. Perhaps just the competitiveness. I tend to pick up these things, which aren’t terribly important, just interesting (to me).

  • Michael in UK · June 7, 2018 at 8:49 am

    Yesterday might on the RB site I saw that Marion Bartoli is playing in the legends doubles with partner Martina Navratilova.

    earlier in the year when she announced her return to tennis my recollection is that she implied a return to the main WTA tour. Oh well, it is great to see she is looking well and healthy in her courtside interviews at RG.

  • catherine · June 7, 2018 at 9:28 am

    I think Marion did intend to return to the main tour but possibly had second thoughts after playing that exho in NY, talking to people and seeing what she might be up against.

    She’s been doing some TV commentary.

  • Duke Carnoustie · June 7, 2018 at 1:13 pm

    Shame that Dabrowski and Pavic lost.

    Meanwhile is Sloane Stephens the top American tennis player in the world at this time? It is getting time to make the case.

  • Hartt · June 7, 2018 at 1:46 pm

    It was a shame that Dabrowski and Pavic lost, especially since they fought hard enough to get it to a match TB. Mate Pavic, in particular, seemed a bit off today. But Chan/Dodig were better overall, and Chan was terrific. She said that Dodig asked her to play RG mixed doubles a couple times before she finally agreed. She must be very glad she changed her mind.

    Gabriela gave part of her RU speech in French, much to the delight of the crowd.

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