Thursday, March 28, 2024

Serena Still Sick as a Dog Day Before French Open Final

Serena Williams of the United States reacts during her Women's Semi final match against Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland on day twelve of the 2015 French Open at Roland Garros on June 4, 2015 in Paris, France
Serena Williams of the United States reacts during her Women’s Semi final match against Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland on day twelve of the 2015 French Open at Roland Garros on June 4, 2015 in Paris, France

*On Saturday, Serena Williams will try to win a third French Open title at Roland Garros and her 20th career Grand Slam singles trophy…all while dealing with “some kind of flu.”

The top-seeded Williams chose to  skip practice and a pre-final news conference on Friday so she could rest up at her Paris apartment and get checked out by a physician.

“It’s just a matter of resting and keeping hydrated — there’s not much else I can do,” Williams said. “I need time, and obviously don’t have a lot of it. … I just have to hope that tomorrow I will be feeling a lot better and able to give my best on court.”

Serena Williams of the United States reacts during her Women's Semi final match against Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland on day twelve of the 2015 French Open at Roland Garros on June 4, 2015 in Paris, France
Serena Williams of the United States reacts during her Women’s Semifinal match against Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland on day twelve of the 2015 French Open at Roland Garros on June 4, 2015 in Paris, France

As previously reported, she was lethargic en route to beating No. 23 Timea Bacsinszky in Thursday’s semifinal 4-6, 6-3, 6-0. Afterward, Williams said, “I just kind of collapsed.”

Serena’s final against Lucie Safarova will begin no earlier than 3 p.m. local time Saturday (9 a.m. EST/6 a.m. PST) and there’s a chance it could be delayed because it follows the continuation of the men’s semifinal between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. That match was called for rain at 3-all in the fourth set, with Djokovic ahead two sets to one.

If Williams can bounce back enough Saturday, she’d be an overwhelming favorite, in part because she is 8-0 against Safarova. Also, the 13th-seeded Safarova has never been this far at a major tournament in singles.

Below, Serena’s nasty coughing fit during a changeover, right before winning 10 straight games to launch her comeback victory.

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