Williams sisters out at Wimbledon
Published 2:01 am Tuesday, June 28, 2011
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Walking away from Centre Court, Oracene Price — mother and sometimes-coach to Serena and Venus Williams — shook her head after watching one daughter lose at Wimbledon, then the other.
Undeniably great as she is, even defending champion Serena found it too tough to make a deep run at her first Grand Slam tournament in a year after a series of health scares. And as successful as Venus has been at the All England Club, even she couldn’t muster her best after missing nearly five months with a hip injury.
“I don’t think their layoffs helped their rhythm,” Price said.
They’re both headed home after straight-set exits in the fourth round against far-less-accomplished opponents Monday. First, 13-time major champion Serena lost 6-3, 7-6 (6) to ninth-seeded Marion Bartoli on Court 1. Then, less than two hours later, five-time Wimbledon champion Venus was beaten 6-2, 6-3 by 32nd-seeded Tsvetana Pironkova.
Adding to the chaotic nature of the afternoon, top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki lost, too, although she’s still searching for her first Grand Slam singles trophy, while the Williams sisters own a total of 20.
“Definitely not our best day,” Venus said. “I think we both envisioned seeing this day going a little bit different.”