“End is Much Closer”: Coach Patrick Mouratoglou on Serena Williams’ Last Wimbledon Championships

As the world began preparations for the 2021 Wimbledon Championship, day 1 came with the news no one was prepared for. Tennis fans all around the globe were left shocked, when American legend, Serena Williams, withdrew from the tournament.

Due to a mid-game injury, the former World No.1 was forced to retire from the competition. Watching the 39-year-old fall to the ground, fans were left heartbroken, devastatingly wondering if this was it.

The crowd was up on their feet as the tennis icon made her way out of the court. Side by side with her husband, her mother and her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena faced the media to give further insight on her injury.

However, once deemed the favorite to win the tournament, the American legend couldn’t keep the pieces of her broken dream together and left the press conference abruptly. As fans speculate if this was a sign of Serena bidding goodbye to the sport, Patrick said, “I don?t think so but I?m not keen on answering for her.”

Will Serena Williams retire soon?

In a career best described as glorious, Serena has won it all. The legacy she has created in the sport shall remain unbelievable and untouchable long after her departure from the sport.

However, bounded by responsibilities, restrictions, and injuries, the legend has been busier off the court than on it. Her exit from the tournament makes fans wonder if they’ll ever see her again.

“I don?t know either what she thinks about having maybe played her last Wimbledon. So many different things will decide that. She obviously knows that the end is much closer than the beginning of her career,” said Patrick.

Speaking of Serena’s abrupt walk away from the post-match press conference. Explaining why, Patrick said, “If she had anticipated an eventual overflow of emotion if she was questioned about the last appearance there, I would find that totally understandable.”

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Fans hope to see American legend on court again

Even in despair and uncertainty, fans believe there is hope of seeing Serena once again. Having withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics already, those eagerly awaiting will have to show a little more patience. Most believe she will return to the court at the US Open. Referring to which, Patrick said, “I consider her chances at the US Open as equal to her chances at Wimbledon.”

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A legacy of this magnitude will never be forgotten, regardless of the 23-time Grand Slam champion’s retirement from the sport. Serena is the kind of dynamic that would not want to live on as a memory. She is, as her famous necklace reads, a ‘Queen,’ and will only bow out from the grand stage in style.