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Her explanation was that she got nervous, hard to believe for a 10-time major winner. She was inconsistent, however in the French Open quarterfinals Wednesday, running out of gas down the stretch of a 7-6 (3), 5-7, 7-5 loss to Svetlana Kuznetsova. The loss ended Williams' 18-match winning streak at major tournaments.
The second-seeded Williams blew a 3-1 lead in the third set.
"I had an opportunity, and I got really tight, and I pretty much gave it to her. It was like, 'Here. Do you want to go to the semis? Because I don't.' She was like, 'OK.'''
In fact, Kuznetsova took eight of the last nine points, breaking Williams in the final game. So perhaps it was nervousness. At any rate, Serena Williams denied fatigue and blamed nerves.
"Honestly, I think I lost because of me, and not because of anything she did. Maybe I put some expectations on myself that I didn't put on myself initially.''
Posted June 3rd, 2009 by Michael Santo
