Serena Williams once scoffed at the notion of appreciating the claim that her early exit from the 2011 Wimbledon Championships was a positive for women’s tennis. The American was on the hunt for her fifth title at SW19 at the time.
Eager to defend her Wimbledon title, Williams made her return to the court during the 2011 grasscourt season following a prolonged 11-month break due to injury issues.
The American’s 2010 season was abruptly cut short due to an accident with broken glass, which severed a tendon in her foot and required two surgeries. Subsequently, she suffered a hematoma and a pulmonary embolism, further delaying her comeback.
Making her return to the tour on grass at the 2011 Aegon International in Eastbourne, Serena Williams was ousted from the tournament by top seed Vera Zvonreva in the second round after a tense three-set contest.
The American then entered the Wimbledon Championships as the seventh seed and two-time defending champion. Despite her extended break from the sport, Williams displayed her enduring skill as she triumphed over Aravane Rezai, Simona Halep and Mari Kirilenko to reach the fourth round.
However, Marion Bartoli ended Serena Williams’ run in the Round of 16, securing a commanding 6-3, 7-6(6) victory to dash the American’s hopes of a successful title defense.
Despite her loss, Williams took pride in her “tough” display, highlighting the wins she managed to secure after her recent return from injury. Speaking in her post-match press conference, the American also expressed confidence in her “scary” potential to continue improving on her comeback trail.
“You know, I think I did really well, you know, just being able to come back and play and win some matches, uhm, and just really play tough. Even today I lost, but I was able to kind of hang in there and play tough,” she said.
“And I can only get better. And that can potentially be really scary, because I can only go up from here and I can just do so much more,” she added.
When asked whether she could appreciate her loss being seen as a ‘good thing’ for women’s tennis, given that her winning the title after such a long injury break would reflect poorly on the WTA’s competitiveness, Serena Williams sarcastically remarked that she was elated at her defeat.
“Yeah, I’m super happy that I lost. Go, women’s tennis,” she said.
“Next year I’ll have less things to worry about” – Serena Williams was motivated for ‘good’ Wimbledon 2012 campaign after 2011 disappointment
During the same press conference, Serena Williams also disclosed that her disappointment over her early exit from the 2011 Wimbledon Championships had only served as motivation for her return to SW19 in 2012.
The American shared that she was looking forward to a “good” showing the following year, anticipating being free from the burden of defending too many points at the grasscourt Major.
“Yeah, absolutely. Next year I’ll have less things to worry about. I didn’t do so well this year, so I have no points to defend. It will just be good,” she said.
Serena Williams’ prediction proved accurate, as she produced an impressive run at Wimbledon 2012, beating the likes of defending champion Petra Kvitova and second seed Victoria Azarenka to set up a blockbuster title clash against Agnieszka Radwanska.
The American claimed a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 win over Radwanska in the final to clinch her fifth title at SW19 and her 14th Grand Slam title overall.