Australian Open 2020: I made far too many errors to be a professional athlete – Serena
Dejan Kalinic at Melbourne Park
January 24, 2020 05:53 MYT
January 24, 2020 05:53 MYT
Serena Williams rued her errors in a shock Australian Open loss to Wang Qiang, revealing she wanted to punch a wall.
The American great fell to a surprise 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 loss to Wang Qiang on Rod Laver Arena on Friday.
Williams committed 56 unforced errors to slump to her earliest Australian Open exit since 2006, while her wait for a record-equalling 24th grand slam singles title goes on.
The 38-year-old said losses were still painful, but she was better at hiding her disappointment.
"I am just a better actress, as I always say now. I'm no happier than I was 10 years ago," Williams told a news conference.
"But I just have to pretend like I don't want to punch the wall, but in reality I do."
Williams lamented her errors against Wang, who was consistent throughout a battle lasting two hours, 41 minutes.
The moment of a LIFETIME! Qiang Wang puts on an absolute masterclass in the match of the tournament to shock Serena Williams 6-4 6-7(2) 7-5 and advance to a first career #AusOpen round of 16.#AO2020 pic.twitter.com/gnGkAMaU8X — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 24, 2020
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Wang was crushed 6-1 6-0 when the pair met just months ago at the US Open, but managed a stunning win in Melbourne.
"I made a lot of errors," Williams said. "I didn't hit any of those shots in New York or in general in a really long time. So that's good news.
"I just made far too many errors to be a professional athlete today."