Surprise, surprise.
If there was anyone that was predicted to be knocked out of the Miami Open, it was definitely not Serena Williams. However, things took a whirl and the world number one bowed out just after the fourth round of the tournament and sent a shockwave to viewers all over the globe.
The American ended her 20th winning streak when she surprisingly lost 6-7 (3-7), 6-1, 6-2 to Russian 15th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova. The top seed then proceeded to climb into her white Mini Cooper to pull out of the players’ parking lot. Quite a hasty exit.
Williams was on a run for her ninth title in Miami and her fourth in a row. All hopes were shattered when the 21-time Grand Slam champion was outplayed.
“The players come out and play me like they’ve never played before in their lives,” Williams said as quoted from BBC.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to criticise my movement right now. I did the best that I could. I can’t win every match.”
Most of the local audience were absolutely stunned and disheartened over Williams’ exit and had stirred up quite a number of negative opinions regarding her form. Kuznetsova tried her best to set the atmosphere well by cheering up the locals.
“She’s still No. 1, and she still plays great,” Kuznetsova said. “I don’t see much to be depressed about.”
WHAT DO WE THINK:
Just like what happened in Malaysia few weeks ago, when badminton ace Lee Chong Wei was ousted in just the first round of the All England Championships, Malaysian viewers seemed to be rather shocked and disappointed about what happened. Some even lost confidence in the top seed to maintain his form and triumph for the nation (especially Thomas Cup and Olympics).
However, just like what Williams stated- ‘I can’t win every match’, it is not fair to criticise the players that have brought glory to the country with their countless amount of successes. If they had not had a shortfall for a few times, mistakes can’t be corrected and there is no way to improve one’s performance.
All in all, one failure does not determine one’s performance and all viewers should be standing behind their local athletes to support them and urge them to move forward rather than shaking heads upon their failure.
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