Serena, injured, says goodbye to Roland Garros

Serena, during the first round match against Ahn.CHRISTIAN HARTMANN / Reuters

Backhand to backhand,

commendable insistence

on hitting her 24th major and thus equaling Margaret Court's all-time record continues to be met with blow after blow.

The 39-year-old American landed in Paris without much faith because she came with her left Achilles heel touched, the result of a bad gesture three weeks ago in New York, during the semifinal duel that brought her down from the US Open against Victoria Azarenka .

She did not have them all with her and, finally, the North American announced this Wednesday her retirement from the Roland Garros women's team.

She did it in the middle of the morning, shortly before her theoretical clash with Svetana Pironkova in the second round.

“I love playing in Paris and I love clay so I wanted to make an effort.

However, I have a problem with the Achilles tendon, it is difficult for me to even walk, and that is a clear sign that I have to stop to try to recover, "said Williams, triple champion of the

Parisian

(2002, 2013 and 2015) and that last Saturday he celebrated his birthday.

“This is not about a knee injury, which would have been devastating for me, so I feel like I can get through this.

It is a question of bad timing and bad luck, "she added.

Two years ago, in 2018, Serena was also forced to leave in the middle of the tournament.

Then it was due to a pectoral muscle ailment that prevented her from measuring Maria Sharapova in the second round.

This latest setback will put an end to her season and underscores the decline: since raising her first Grand Slam in 1999, she has never linked three courses without celebrating great success.

Its biggest drought so far targeted the two blank exercises between 200 and 2001.

In this way, Williams loses another bullet in that fight she has with Court, with history, with herself above all else.

In her twilight phase, the American wants, but neither her tennis nor her body allow her to reach the point necessary to embrace the challenge.

One more Grand Slam, an odyssey.

Since returning from being a mother, after having obtained her last major in 2017, Australia, Serena has been losing steam.

Still, her greatness allowed her to play four finals, all four lost: two at Wimbledon and two in New York.

The flame goes out, her reality does not give her for more.

Along with her, Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, inferior to Anna Schmiedlova, left the tournament on Wednesday: double 6-2.