UK: 18+ USA: 21+ | Begambleaware.org | T&Cs apply | Play Responsibly
Serena Williams hasn’t played a competitive tennis match since Wimbledon 2021. This was back in July when she sadly injured her hamstring and was forced to retire. Of course, this means she has missed the entire second half of the 2021 season. And now she is 40 years of age, joining the likes of Roger Federer on tour.
She has won 23 Grand Slams in her career, but the last one came in January 2017. That’s quite some time ago by her standards. And since that victory, she has lost in 4 different Grand Slam finals. Many believe Williams is still playing the game to equal or beat Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam victories. But based on the last few years, is it really going to happen?
More to the point, are we witnessing the end of Serena Williams’ career?
The current state of play for Serena
Contents
Questions are obviously being raised regarding how much longer Serena will continue to play the game. Even bigger questions are raised as to whether she can once again dominate the court as she has done in the past. The only indicators we can go from for this are the current facts regarding her professional and professional life.
Recovery from injury
It really was sad to see Williams leaving Centre Court in tears at Wimbledon. The court was incredibly slippery during the early rounds. And it wasn’t just Williams that complained about the state of the court. But fast forward to November, she claims to have fully recovered from the injury. With that said, there are no more prestigious tournaments for her to compete in this year. Instead, she will be going into the 21/22 season fully fit.
Confirmation of Australian Open 2022 appearance
Williams has recently confirmed that she definitely plans to compete in the 2022 Australian Open. This is great news for her fans and for spectators that are planning on attending the event. Whether she plays any warm-up tournaments, however, remains to be seen. In the 2021 Australian Open, she made the semi-finals before losing to Naomi Osaka.
And historically, Williams has usually played extremely well in Australia. But whether she can do better than the 2021 campaign will depend on her pre-season training, fitness levels, and form in the tournament.
Focus on other activities
This has been a major cause of concern for Williams fans in recent years. Many think she has started to turn her back on the tennis court and focus on different things. Only Serena can answer that question honestly, but in my opinion, there is a degree of truth to this. She has obviously welcomed a daughter in the last few years. But she has also moved into fashion, and she has many off-court endeavours that steal her attention.
Therefore, the obvious question is whether Serena still has the desire out there on the court. Or does she now channel more of her energy into these off-court ventures? Who really knows? But one thing is certain – she is returning to the court in 2022!
Subscribe to Punditfeed on Google News for all the latest updates from the world of sports!
