The unseeded Vinci had never previously gone beyond the quarter-finals of a major tournament, and Williams had won the previous four grand slams, stretching back to last year’s US Open.
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However, this news is no reason to doubt Williams” motivation for the future, or to make assumptions about her “retirement’.
Williams, who won the end of season finals in Singapore a year ago, will now concentrate on recuperating ahead of the new season. Any loss is very painful for her, but this one even more than usual.
World number one Serena Williams has opted against defending the WTA Finals title and made a decision to end her season early following a roller coaster campaign littered with pains and prizes, the American said on Thursday.
After a stunning upset in the semifinal of the US Open, Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, said the defeat has him questioning whether Serena should play out the rest of the season.
He also insisted that Serena should not prefer to play if she lacks motivation to play in the upcoming tournaments.
The world No 1, who lost just three singles matches in 2015 on her way to winning the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, said she needed to give her body time to recover. According to IB Times, Williams may have posted a collage of her equally famous sister, Venus, on Instagram, as a “thinly-veiled attempt to distract attention” from her rumored romance with Drake.
“I’m a fierce competitor and I want to compete as well as I can, for as long as I can”, added the 34-year-old Williams. “But I like that because it’s just about having high expectations and that’s what champions have and I think the same way”.
“When she lost in Toronto [in August], she was very disappointed, but we went back to practice the morning after because she wanted to win the US Open”. But the hint of fragility on Williams’ part begs the question: What happens if she loses that first Grand Slam?
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“I love this game more than ever”.
