Serena Williams took the court in Rome on Wednesday for her first match since losing to Naomi Osaka in the Australian Open semifinals 83 days ago.
But Serena’s stay at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia did not last long.
Playing in her 1,000th career match, the 23-time Grand Slam champion and world No. 8 lost to rising Argentine star Nadia Podoroska, 7-6(6), 7-5, in one hour and 58 minutes.
Serena trailed 2-5 in the second set and fought back to 5-all, but was broken while serving at 5-6 to stay in the match.
“It's tough to have a first match on clay,” Williams said. “It was definitely kind of good to go the distance and to try to be out there, but clearly I can do legions better.
“She has a good game, for sure, obviously. She's very consistent. Overall, it was good for me to play such a clay court player on clay today, but it's a little frustrating. But it's all right. It is what it is.
“I have been training for months, but it feels definitely different on clay to make that last adjustment. Just filling out the game, finding the rhythm. Even sliding and confidence with that, with movement... That's always like a little struggle in the first two matches, and then I'm raring to go.”
The immediate question for Serena is whether she will enter another event to get match play before the start of Roland Garros May 30. Williams, who turns 40 in September, remains at 23 majors, one shy of Margaret Court’s all-time mark of 24, and it is important to her to attempt to tie — and break — the record.
“It’s not enough, I still want to win more,” she said earlier this season, per EuroSport.” I want that title to be solidified in concrete.”
Williams could opt to enter either Belgrade or Parma, Italy next week on clay in preparation for the French Open, which she has won three times, but not since 2015. She said this week she’s uncertain if she will play the Tokyo Olympics this summer because she doesn’t want to be separated from her daughter, Olympia, for any length of time.
“Maybe I do need a few more matches, so I’m going to try to figure that out with my coach and my team and see what we would like to do,” Serena said.
Williams needs more matches entering Paris and then Wimbledon to work on her movement and rhythm. With the French Open being pushed back a week, there will only be two weeks between the end of Roland Garros and the start of Wimbledon June 28.
Williams has won seven of her 23 majors at the All-England Club, most recently in 2016. She lost in the finals in 2018 (to Angelique Kerber) and 2019 (to Simona Halep). Wimbledon was canceled last year due to the pandemic.
Serena Williams Loses Her First Match In 83 Days. What’s Next On Her Schedule? - Forbes
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