At the age of 40, Serena Williams will participate in this year’s Wimbledon, after not playing a singles match since last year’s competition.
Last year, Williams tore her right hamstring during the match of the first set of the first round. She was unable to continue playing and was forced to withdraw from the tournament.
In an interview with Christopher Clarey from The New York Times, Williams was asked about how last year affected her. “You never want any match to end like that, it’s really unfortunate, but it was definitely something that’s always been at the top of my mind,” she said. “So it was a tremendous amount of motivation.”
Another form of motivation for Williams is that she is now coached by Eric Hechtman after splitting with Patrick Mouratoglou, her coach for 10 years. Hechtman is a former University of Miami tennis player and the director of tennis at the Royal Palm Tennis Club in Miami. He is also the coach of Williams’ older sister, Venus, and has known both sisters for almost 15 years.
Even after last year’s injury, Williams is still aiming for her eighth Wimbledon win, with new motivation from her new coach. Hechtman is also aiming high for Wimbledon this year. “She’s a champion, right? And she’s playing Wimbledon for a reason,” he said. “Just like I think anybody that walks into the tournament, their goal is to win the event. And that’s our goal.”
Last year, Williams tore her right hamstring during the match of the first set of the first round. She was unable to continue playing and was forced to withdraw from the tournament.
In an interview with Christopher Clarey from The New York Times, Williams was asked about how last year affected her. “You never want any match to end like that, it’s really unfortunate, but it was definitely something that’s always been at the top of my mind,” she said. “So it was a tremendous amount of motivation.”
Another form of motivation for Williams is that she is now coached by Eric Hechtman after splitting with Patrick Mouratoglou, her coach for 10 years. Hechtman is a former University of Miami tennis player and the director of tennis at the Royal Palm Tennis Club in Miami. He is also the coach of Williams’ older sister, Venus, and has known both sisters for almost 15 years.
Even after last year’s injury, Williams is still aiming for her eighth Wimbledon win, with new motivation from her new coach. Hechtman is also aiming high for Wimbledon this year. “She’s a champion, right? And she’s playing Wimbledon for a reason,” he said. “Just like I think anybody that walks into the tournament, their goal is to win the event. And that’s our goal.”
