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ROLAND GARROS

June 4, 2018

Serena Williams

Paris, France

M. SHARAPOVA/S. Williams

[Walkover]

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you just confirm what the issue is that has forced you to withdraw today?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I unfortunately have been having some issues with my pec, my pec muscle, and has unfortunately been getting worse to the point where right now I can't actually serve. It's kind of hard to play when I can't physically serve.

Q. Did it start before coming here? Has it just gotten progressively worse as you were playing? I know you were doing doubles instead of practicing.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yes. Yeah, it didn't start before I got here. The first time I felt it was against Goerges in my last match. That's when I started to feel it. I was, like, it was really painful and I didn't know what it was.

In my doubles yesterday I tried a lot of different tapings, and I tried lots of different types of support to see how it would feel under match circumstance.

It didn't really get a lot better.

Q. Do you have any idea when you'll be able to train again? Do you think you should be okay for Wimbledon?
SERENA WILLIAMS: So I'm going to get an MRI tomorrow. I'm going to stay here and see some of the doctors here, see as many specialists as I can. And I won't know that until I get those results.

Q. You were playing really well here, better every round. You must be very disappointed. If you could just talk to us about that.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I'm beyond disappointed. You know, I gave up so much, from time with my daughter to time with my family. I put everything on the court, you know. All for this moment.

So it's really difficult to be in this situation, but I always, for now in my life, I just always try to think positive and just think of the bigger picture and hopefully the next events and the rest of the year.

Q. It looked like your serve was holding up for the first two sets of doubles and maybe not in the third. Wondering if it was an easy decision to go out there and play that match if you had started feeling pain against Goerges or why make that choice to play yesterday?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I really felt like I needed to because I'm never going to know how I feel under match play if I didn't have that match.

And plus I wanted to try different tapings and different strappings and lots of different stuff to see what's helping and what can help and what I could try in my singles match. And I'm not serving that often; I'm serving once every four games. So I thought it was a perfect opportunity for me to kind of see how I would be and how I would go in that.

Q. Aside from the injury you have now picked up, you played a fair bit of tennis here, how do you feel you have been bearing up physically sort of across the board?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I have been good. I have been doing so good. I have been really, you know, like I was saying, every match has been getting better for me. Physically I'm doing great. You know, again, it hasn't been easy. I sacrificed so much to be at this event.

I can only take solace in the fact I'm going to continue to get better. And I had such a wonderful performance in my first Grand Slam back. I just feel like it's only going to do better. And I'm coming up on hopefully surfaces that are my absolute favorite to play on and that I do best on.

Hopefully, you know, I can continue to heal and be able to play those events.

Q. I think this is the first time you have withdrawn in the middle of a Grand Slam from singles in your career. How tough is it to step away from this, especially with this highly-anticipated match against Maria, which supposed to start in less than an hour or so?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, it's very difficult, because I love playing Maria. You know, it's just a match I always get up for. You know, it's just her game matches so well against mine.

It is difficult, because like I keep saying, I have given up so much to be here. You know, there is times where I'm on the court and I'm practicing, and I look on the monitor and I see my daughter and she's playing and I want to be there, but I know that these are the sacrifices you have to make to live out your dream.

And I have made every sacrifice that I could. So it's extremely disappointing. But also, I made a promise to myself and to my coach and to my team that if I'm not at least 60% or 50%, then I probably shouldn't play. The fact that I physically can't serve at all is a good indication that maybe I should just go back to the drawing board and stay positive and try to get better and not get it to a point where it could be a lot worse.

Q. Everybody sorry for that, because the other day you did a great effort to beat Ashleigh Barty. I think health is the first factor for you.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Thank you so much. That's really sweet. It was a great effort to come back, and, you know, just showed all the hard work I put in for fitness and training and just doing something that I love so much. I love tennis and I love being out here, and especially for the Grand Slams.

Q. Just clarify about the injury. Is it something that you have never had before? And do you think is it partly because you have played so little tennis in the last 18 months?
SERENA WILLIAMS: There is a lot of theories. I have never had this before. So that's one of the things I was telling my team. I was, like, I have never felt this in my life. Like, this is so painful.

So I don't really know how to manage it yet. Sadly, when you do have an injury that you have had before, you can kind of manage it. I have pretty much had every injury in the book. But this is a little different, and, yeah, I'm clueless as to what to do.

I'm just going to do what the doctor thinks I should do and get all the evaluations on it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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