After so many tournaments, winning has actually become more difficult for someone who was once almost unbeatable
A few hours after
Serena Williams walked out of Rod Laver Arena, beaten in the late stages of a grand slam tournament once more, the Eurosport team had converged in front of the cameras to discuss the day’s play. There stood Barbara Schett, last active 15 years ago, who played against Williams three times, and via video link, Williams’s former rival Justine Henin, who retired in Melbourne 10 years ago. Henin is a year younger than Williams, now a mother of two, and when she was asked if she saw herself competing like Williams again, her response was simple: “No way, no chance.”
While Williams competes against players such as Naomi Osaka, it is easy to forget that her real contemporaries are
Women such as Schett and Henin. They are almost all long retired, living full lives, enjoying the fruits of their on-court
Labour in peace. Meanwhile, Williams has just competed in her 77th grand slam tournament, which puts her second on the all-time list to her sister, Venus, who played in her 88th last week.