What’s next for Serena Williams after devastating Wimbledon exit?

Serena Williams slowly picked herself up off of her knees, each movement looking more pained than the last. She had screamed in agony as she fell to the ground, and by the time she stood up, the chair umpire was by her side. The match was over, and with it, her much-publicized quest for her 24th major title and eighth at Wimbledon.

Despite having a season filled with more questions than answers and having played in just five events, Williams was one of the favorites entering the year’s third major. With the tournament having been canceled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic,

most players having little recent experience on grass and the absence of stars like Naomi Osaka and reigning champion Simona Halep, everything was lining up for Williams to finally match Margaret Court’s long-standing record for most major titles of all time.

Williams did post a message on her Instagram account on Tuesday, accompanied by a picture of herself walking onto Centre Court. She provided no details about her injury or her future, but she did thank those in the stands.

 

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The window for those dreams to come true is undoubtedly getting smaller. While it may not be now, Williams will one day make the decision to walk away from the sport she transformed with her dominant play and transcendent superstardom. But her influence will long be felt by generations to come. And no matter whether she wins another major or never plays another match, her legacy is firmly secured.

“She’s the greatest female player ever,” Shriver said. “Margaret Court played in a different era; more than half of her major wins came before the Open era and before players were regularly traveling to Australia.

The only reason we’re talking about it is because she already passed Chris Evert and Martina [Navratilova] at 18, and then Steffi Graf at 22. It was the only record left she hadn’t beaten.
“She doesn’t need to prove anything else.“