Aussie Darcy
Bionic Poster
Reason yet to come but breaking news just out now
Serena Williams withdraws from the 2020 French Open 2R
- Thread starter Aussie Darcy
- Start date
Backspin1183
Talk Tennis Guru
Sudacafan
Bionic Poster
Correct, pushing 40, she might not get away with all that anymore.
Aussie Darcy
Bionic Poster
You had me til you mentioned the weight, it was a thing when she first returned but she is not fat or in bad weight. She doesn't have the strength and stamina she once did.
This was from the USO. It's not the weight. It's the age, loss of stamina and the opponents no longer fearing them. People need to stop with weight.
Sudacafan
Bionic Poster
You seem to get used to watch her carrying that weight for so many years.You had me til you mentioned the weight, it was a thing when she first returned but she is not fat or in bad weight. She doesn't have the strength and stamina she once did.
This was from the USO. It's not the weight. It's the age, loss of stamina and the opponents no longer fearing them. People need to stop with weight.
Aussie Darcy
Bionic Poster
This was when she had weight issues. 2018 RG.
At this years USO I don't see weight being the issue in that above image it's the stamina and age.
McLovin
Legend
I don’t think it’s fat. Remember: muscle weighs more than fat.
Bottom line is she’s naturally a big girl, and carrying around that extra weight for so many years takes its toll on the body.
Sudacafan
Bionic Poster
I don’t see much of a difference. I believe that something not mentioned above, as respiratory problems, are part of the issue, too.This was when she had weight issues. 2018 RG.
At this years USO I don't see weight being the issue in that above image it's the stamina and age.
Italian Stallion
Rookie
I don't think she had any chance of winning. Time is ticking. The big guns will be coming back next year. I think Oz, Wimbledon and US Open 2021 are her last shots at tying the record.
Aussie Darcy
Bionic Poster
Her time has come and gone unfortunately but she'll always be one of the ATG's.
daddy
Legend
I don't care if it's muscles or whatever, as a lifelong football ( soccer ) fan I will tell you one thing - if your genetically gifted with a powerful upper body, that may be fantastic for some sports or overall but it ultimately leads to being injury prone in knee ligament / achilles tendon departments.
She is a powerhouse and she put it to a fantastic use with her serve and ground strokes but as time went by it became an issue for her movement and now a cause of her injuries.
Edit : loss of stamina you say. What is that if not a direct proof of what I said - she carries too much for her age. Many players have spoken at length about how they changed their training and approach to nutrition as they were getting older but I never saw Serena change a thing. If anything she became even heavier.
a10best
Hall of Fame
I actually called for her to take time off for an achilles problem a few weeks back. She needs rest & then low impact exercises. I had the same issue (achilles tendonitis) over labor day and have not really played since. She's had 3 years without a major title. It's over. Her tennis age and better competition are the biggest issues she can't overcome. Plus, Pironkova would have beat her today.
D
Deleted member 22147
Guest
good
Pironkova
Pironkova
D
Deleted member 369227
Guest
Hmmm... I'm sure her muscles are still strong, but she looks at least ~10kg/20lbs overweight, which is not good for her movement and particularly for her older joints/tendons.
The cold temps in Paris make it increasingly dangerous to play with a minor injury because the chance of turning it into a major injury is increased. The cold decreases muscle flexibility; it's not wise to risk further injury by playing this FO. Serena's best chance for a slam victory is at Wimbledon. It remains to be seen if she will play in 2021 in order to attempt to win there. There is no question that Serena is still very competitive on the tour. Having watched her play at the U.S. Open, I cannot say that she is out of shape. As is the case with my family and many if not most others, as we age, we get stockier rather than taller. The belief that you stop growing at a certain age is really not true. Of course, the stockier you are the heavier and slower you become though, to some extent, that is offset by the weight of shot that your stockier body naturally provides. With modern tennis a game mostly of defense, it will be difficult for Serena's attacking game to prevail against defenders who are faster and whose offense skills are formidable as well.
Raul_SJ
G.O.A.T.
Mr.Lob
G.O.A.T.
Thought the cooler Paris weather would help Serena go deep in this slam. It may have ended up costing her...as those old joints and bones couldn't warm up properly. If Serena can stay out of her daughter's trick or treat bag... away from all the holiday cakes and pies... work a little harder in the gym, she'll be back.
your best friend
Rookie
She has taken the rest of the year off and will decide if she is through chasing this thing she cannot have or not.
T
TheNachoMan
Guest
She should just retire
She is 39. She stopped growing taller over 20 years ago.
No. You don't get taller but you get stockier. Your bones keep growing thicker. You will find out when you grow up!
I Am Finnish
Bionic Poster
Topic deleted in 3 2 1
duaneeo
Legend
It's not the weight.
It's not the weight????
duaneeo
Legend
I agree "she's really no bigger than she's been", but weight has been an issue for a long time.
MichaelNadal
Bionic Poster
Definitely. It does seem like even though she's naturally big, she doesn't have to be as big as she lets herself be. (I know it's hard to lose weight for some people/body types) it's just she's an elite athlete, it seems like she could if she really wanted to.
Mark-Touch
Legend
I actually prefer to see her get more and more humiliated each time she loses.
Musterrific
Hall of Fame
Effing retire already. So sick of her lingering around the sport like a stale fart.
Ronaldorro
Rookie
It's really sad news. I really wanted Pironkova to beat her this time. She was so close in the US Open.
D
Deleted member 21996
Guest
i'm nowhere near a Serena fan, but injuries are no joke talk. i had to stop playing tennis because of Sciatica and Achiles injuries...
hoping for a fast recovery
hoping for a fast recovery
Bhagi Katbamna
Legend
ESPN has opened up a 24 hour suicide prevention hotline for their commentators.
Withdrawing due to injury is a fate I wish upon no one. Hopefully she recovers quickly but if she needs 6 weeks of rehab then it sounds serious.
Withdrawing due to injury is a fate I wish upon no one. Hopefully she recovers quickly but if she needs 6 weeks of rehab then it sounds serious.
Last edited:
i didnt think she had much chance anyway and was surprised she even went there.
its her least favorite surface and she has trouble enough on faster surfaces now..
i agree with the other posters saying shes not fit... whenever she plays she seems to
always be the less fit/less mobile player on the court compared to her opponent..
you couldnt say that a few years ago... to me it looks like the other girls have really
amped up the fitness level, esp the ones in the winners circle
its her least favorite surface and she has trouble enough on faster surfaces now..
i agree with the other posters saying shes not fit... whenever she plays she seems to
always be the less fit/less mobile player on the court compared to her opponent..
you couldnt say that a few years ago... to me it looks like the other girls have really
amped up the fitness level, esp the ones in the winners circle
Interesting. I've been in healthcare since 1990, never heard this ...
Bhagi Katbamna
Legend
Agree, after about 35 people typically start losing muscle mass.
This is not how I evaluate the player's placement in ATG. However, according to the die-hard Serena fan, she's not even a GOAT candidate because she fails to win the Grand Slam, the zenith of the sport. If this strong belief is coming from another fan base, then I can understand it can be biased and incomplete approach. But since it's coming from her fan, the argument has a lot of merit.
TearTheRoofOff
G.O.A.T.
your best friend
Rookie
The GOAT dream is more a fantasy than ever. She's not getting younger and faster and her opponents aren't laying down for her.
At some point self confidence must give way to reality.
At some point self confidence must give way to reality.
Jack the Hack
Hall of Fame
When the 2021 Australian Open comes around, Serena will have not won a Slam for 4 years and counting. And during those 4 years, she's won just 1 (1!!!) lower level tournament. She's totally an ATG, maybe even the best ever. But her time is over... and it has been for awhile.
USO
Banned
She made 4 slam finals during that time and usually goes far like SF, QF in the other ones so let's not pretend that she was irrelevant.
Why should she retire when she knows that if she's playing well she still can go far and have a chance to win? It's not like the case with Venus who barely wins a round in slams these days.If you happen to find out what time Chris Evert will be holding the candlelight vigil will you please pass that along.
Bhagi Katbamna
Legend
The vigil has been ongoing from the time Serenal lost in the USOpen semis.If you happen to find out what time Chris Evert will be holding the candlelight vigil will you please pass that along.
Similar threads
- Poll
