« I don’t think I would have been here if it was during the regular season. »
Serena Williams wouldn’t have been able to play at this month’s Australian Open if it hadn’t been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The 39-year-old American was struggling with a left achilles tendon injury during the second part of last season. The injury, sustained during a semifinal loss at the US Open against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in September, forced Williams to withdraw from a second-round match at the French Open later that month. The former world No.1 got off to a flying start at the Yarra Valley Classic WTA 500 event on Monday, beating Australia’s Daria Gavrilova 6-1,6-4 at Melbourne Park. The Yarra Valley Classic is one of number of warm-up events for men and women played this week in the runup to the Australian Open, which starts February 8. The season’s first tennis major was postponed by three weeks because of Covid-19 restrictions. “It was great for me because I needed the time,” Williams told reporters after beating Gavrilova, when asked about her preparation for the Australian Open. “I couldn’t practice because of my achilles… I don’t think I would have been here if it was during the regular season. So whew, that was an unwanted blessing, I would say, but it was much needed for me. So I definitely took that time to recover and to just do the best that I can.” Williams’ performance against Gavrilova was praised by Patrick Mouratoglou, her long-time coach, on Twitter: There is a lot at stake Down Under for Williams, who is trying to tie alltime Grand Slam record holder Margaret Court of Australia with 24 major singles titles. Williams, a seven-time champion in Melbourne, has lost all four Grand Slam finals she has appeared in since returning from maternity leave in 2018. There is also a lot at stake for organizers of the Australian Open, the season’s first tennis major and one of the country’s biggest sports events.
