“Struggling to Walk”: Serena Williams Announces Disheartening News at the French Open 2020

In a major development at the French Open 2020, Serena Williams has withdrawn from the event. Her second-round opponent, Tsvetana Pironkova, has thus received a walkover into the third round.

Williams had suffered from an Achilles injury at the US Open 2020, which troubled her quite a bit. The same injury seems to have troubled her in Paris as well.

Serena Williams might not play in 2020

After Serena’s first-round win at the French Open over Kristie Ahn, she was asked about her recovery. To this, Serena replied, “I’m doing so much for it … one of the reasons I came into press a little bit earlier than normal is because I need to get back & start the protocol all over again.”

Speaking to the media after her withdrawal decision, Serena said, “[I’m] struggling to walk. To that’s kind of tell-tale sign that I should try to recover.” She also said that she hadn’t completely recovered from her injury since the US Open. Williams doubted whether she could play any more matches this week, and that was why she withdrew.

In another major announcement of her 2020 plans, Williams claimed that there is also the possibility that she may not play again this year. “I think I need four to six weeks of sitting and doing nothing and at least just two weeks of sitting down. After that two weeks I’ve been told I need to do a little training. I don’t know if I’ll be able to play another tournament this year,” Serena said.

Serena’s love for the sport

Serena was confident that she would soon make a strong comeback. “I love playing tennis and I love competing. It’s my job and I’m pretty good at it still… I’m so close to some things and I feel like I’m almost there… that’s what keeps me going,” she added.

As a result of her withdrawal, the match between Amanda Anisimova and Bernarda Pera was moved to Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Williams started off shakily in her first-round match against country mate, Ahn. She was down a break twice in the opening set and had to dig deep. She did so, and won the first-set tiebreaker, losing just two points. Serena then sailed through the second set, winning 6-0.

After her match, Serena exuded confidence and

said that she was there to fight out the tough conditions at this year’s French Open. But now, her unfortunate withdrawal has opened up the draw to quite some extent.