After losing in three sets to American teenager Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, Serena Williams, who contended with an ankle injury early on in the tournament and later a back injury that flared up during a match, calls it one of worst couple weeks she has had at a Grand Slam.
“Absolutely. Oh, my gosh, I’m almost relieved that it’s over because there’s only so much I felt I could do,” the 31-year-old said. “I’ve been thrown a lot of balls these two weeks.”
Williams said that she suffered her back injury a few days ago; during the Stephens match it got really tight and she was unable to rotate.
“I was running to the net for a drop shot,” she said. “As I went to hit it, it was on the backhand. I even screamed on the court. I was like, Ahh. I totally locked up after that. It was a little painful. But it’s okay.”
Williams, who came into the quarterfinals on a 20-match winning streak, added, “You each can say this is definitely not my best match in months.”