Nine-time Wimbledon champion, Martina Navratilova has spoken up about the bizarre series of events that forced Serena Williams to withdraw from the tournament. Here’s what she had to say to Melissa Isaacson of ESPNW:
“I find it distressing. I think virus, whatever they’re saying it was, I don’t think that was it. I think it’s clear that’s not the case. I don’t know what it is, but I hope Serena will be OK, Navratilova said. I’ve never seen anything like it and hopefully never will again. Everybody was put in such a difficult position, including the WTA. It’s not right. It defies logic on so many fronts. The coach said he hadn’t seen her for two days. He didn’t know anything. How can you be a coach and not know anything? That’s wrong. And Venus was just kind of there. You don’t know what’s going on, but virus was not it, that much is clear.”
While I personally believe that Serena Williams has earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to an issue such as this, I must agree with most of what Navratilova is saying. Why were the officials so lax in their response when it was clear Williams was disoriented in warmups? Why was the match allowed to continue? And maybe my most pressing question: Why were her coaches completely clueless as to her state of health up until the point she lost her bearings on the court? You’d think her circle would be more informed of how the star athlete is feeling.
Of course, this could all just be one unfortunate coincidence. Yes, maybe an illness struck her immediately before her match began. These are very possible scenarios, but something about this just doesn’t sit right.
We may never know what the exact cause of Williams’ illness was. Her and her family have the right to keep all of that information private. We can only send her our well wishes and hope that whatever occurred on that court wasn’t anything too serious.
[h/t USA Today]
