While laying bare her frustration after a devastating loss, Serena Williams once explained her tennis struggles in dating terms. The American also admitted that she had no one to blame but herself for repeatedly ending up in tough situations.
Competing at the 2020 Western & Southern Open as the third seed, Williams locked horns with Maria Sakkari in the third round. After winning the opening set 7-5, the American squandered the opportunity to serve out the match at 5-3 in the second set. Although the 23-time Grand Slam champion got another chance to seal her win after taking a 4-1 lead in the tiebreak, she failed to capitalize as Sakkari forced a decider.
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Maria Sakkari went on to dominate the third set, claiming a 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-1 victory to reach the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati. The American did not shy away from voicing her frustration in her post-match press conference, asserting that there was "no excuse" for losing the match. She also likened her on-court struggles to repeatedly dating someone she knows is bad for her.
"I literally put myself in this situation. You know, it's like dating a guy that you know sucks. That's literally what I keep doing out here. It's like I have got to get rid of this guy. It just makes no sense. It's frustrating," Serena Williams said.
Despite her self-deprecating admission, Williams did not take long to avenge her loss against Maria Sakkari. Mere days later, the 23-time Grand Slam champion claimed a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 win over Sakkari in the fourth round of the US Open.
Upon being reminded of her boyfriend analogy by a reporter, Serena Williams humorously expressed relief that she had "gotten rid" of the man in question, describing him as the "worst." She also took satisfaction in overcoming her demons to produce a better campaign at the New York Major.
"I forgot about that (smiling). No, because I'm so close, and I'm just not winning those, that one point. It was just one point here, one point there, and I feel this whole tournament I have been doing better with that. Thank God I got rid of that guy. Never want to see him again. He was the worst," she said.
"I was a little fatigued last time" - Serena Williams on her win over Maria Sakkari at US Open 2020
In the same press conference, Serena Williams highlighted her improved stamina as the key difference between her win over Maria Sakkari at the 2020 US Open and her loss in Cincinnati just a few days earlier.
The American also credited Sakkari for being a formidable competitor and appreciated her strong performance in the "intense" match.
"Just felt like I was able to compete longer. I was a little fatigued last time and had some cramps, but I felt like Maria played a completely -- I felt like she almost played better today. She's such a good competitor. So it was still really -- it was a really intense match," she said.
After beating Maria Sakkari, Serena Williams defeated Tsvetana Pironkova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the quarterfinals before suffering a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 loss to Victoria Azarenka in the semifinals of the US Open.
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