Serena Williams Would Have Pulled Out of Australian Open if She Won: Coach

Serena Williams would have withdrawn from the Australian Open if she had reached the semi-finals, according to coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

Williams led Karolina Pliskova 5-1 in the deciding set of their quarter-final showdown this morning.

However, the American squandered four match points as she crumbled to a shock 7-5 defeat, losing three service games in a row.

While serving on match point, Williams twisted her ankle and was unable to move freely thereafter.

It led to Williams crashing out of the competition, but even if she had seen out the victory, Mouratoglou claims she would have been able to continue.

“That’s not her spirit, she doesn’t try to stop the opponent momentum unlike other players,” Mouratoglou told Eurosport.

“She wants to win because of her but not by disturbing the opponent.

“She’s never done it and won’t start now.

“She could have asked for the physio because she was hurt but, I don’t know, I think she didn’t call the physio because she knew her tournament was over.

“Whatever would happen even playing tomorrow. She knows herself very well, she had multiples twisted ankles, very often in her career.

“Even with a very tight strap she could have tried and kept going eventually winning the match, why not.

“I don’t think she would have been able to play the day after. I think unconsciously that’s what she thought.

“That’s the only explanation I can found right now but I haven’t talked to her yet about that. That wasn’t the right moment.”

Williams’ defeat means she missed out on a repeat of the 2018 US Open final clash against Naomi Osaka in the last four.

With this shock loss, the string of upsets in the Men’s and Women’s draws continue. The American joins the likes of Roger Federer and Marin Cilic among the casualties. Regarding her injury, hopefully, she makes a full recovery in time for the next tournament.