American tennis star Serena Williams is among the toughest competitors on the court. The 40-year-old has an attacking and powerful style of gameplay. However, something different happened at the Wimbledon championships in 2014. While playing in a doubles match with sister Venus Williams, she looked physically unwell. She served four straight double faults before the pair retired, eventually.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
As Serena walked out of the match midway, it made her friend and fellow tennis star Andy Roddick tense. He later texted her personally to know about her condition.
Serena’s illness worried Andy Roddick
Serena Williams and Andy Roddick are both pupils of Rick Macci. The Williams sisters and Roddick brothers learned the basics of tennis together and share a close bond. When Roddick saw Serena walk out in the middle of the match, he was worried about her health. Later the former US Open champion asked if everything was ok with Serena and she said she was ill.
Read more: Venus Williams Shares Her Admiration for Sister Serena Williams for Being Her Role Model
Roddick knows Serena very well. He knew that Serena usually acts tough and won’t easily accept she is not well. “She supposed to be tough, that’s what she is, so she doesn’t like to show that vulnerability. Frankly, that’s how she comes across in press conferences sometimes as aloof, because she doesn’t want to let that guard down. So for her to say, ‘I’m not well right now’ is a scary thing,” he said.
Further, he hoped it was nothing serious.
“You hope it is an illness and not something worse.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Serena Williams to retire after the US Open 2022
Serena Williams has graced the game for over two decades now. The 40-year-old was away from the game for almost a year and made her comeback in the Wimbledon championships in 2022. After a disappointing first-round loss in the grass-court Grand Slam, she made a winning return to the hard court.
However, the shocking news came in yesterday when the September edition of Vogue Magazine revealed her plans to retire from tennis. Notably, the 40-year-old is going to play in the US Open before saying goodbye to the sport.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Watch this story: Will Smith Shows How King Richard Cast Trained Like Serena and Venus Williams
Serena has 23 Grand Slam titles to her name. Out of this, six titles came in the US Open. Can she win one more in her last attempt? Let us know in the comments.