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Eurosport expert Barbara Schett is among those who believe it will be hard for Serena Williams to grab that elusive 24th Major crown, especially after this turbulent season. Serena missed a chance to go all the way in Melbourne in January and it is not clear when she will get another opportunity to enter a Major, with Wimbledon closing its gates due to a coronavirus for the first time since 1945!
The US Open organizers are still hoping to stage the event at the end of August but that doesn't sound likely at the moment, with a terrible situation in New York that only gets worse by each day. Schett believes all the veterans will struggle to find the form again after such a long break, including Serena who should feel a lot of pressure in the quest to match the record of Margaret Court.
Back in 2012, Patrick Mouratoglou and Serena Williams forged an unbelievable partnership, winning ten Majors together and pushing the American higher and higher on the GOAT list. At the Australian Open 2017, Serena claimed the 23rd Major crown, leaving tennis after that to give birth to a child, making a return at Majors at Roland Garros two years ago.
In 2018 and 2019, the American was the finalist at both Wimbledon and the US Open, losing all four title matches and squandering a chance to catch Margaret Court and transfer her tennis legacy to an even higher level. "I think the time is slowly is slipping by; this enforced break is certainly not great for her or the older players.
If you are not playing for a few months, not competing, it doesn't help. I was convinced last year she was going to win a Grand Slam title but now I'm just starting to feel that it's not so possible. There are players out there who know they can beat her, her mobility isn't so good, she gets more nervous, she puts pressure on herself to win another Slam.
I still think she could win another one, but it's certainly going to get a lot harder than the past couple of years when she's played in Grand Slam tournaments."