“She has less self-belief, less confidence and potential,” says former World No. 1, explaining why Serena Williams won’t win another Major
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Justine Henin and Serena Williams
Former World No.1, Justine Henin made a bold statement about Serena Williams. According to the former World No.1, the chances that Serena will win another Grand Slam are very thin. She believes that the 40-year-old won’t be able to match Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slams.
Williams currently has 23 major titles and has lost 5 finals after her last win at the Australian Open 2017. She hasn’t been very active in high-level tennis for a while now. She made the semi-finals at the Australian Open in 2021 and faced an injury in the first round at Wimbledon forcing her to withdraw from the tournament. Since then the hope to make a comeback and win yet another major has seemed to be very slim.
I think it’s going to get harder and harder: Henin on Serena Williams‘ 24th Grand Slam quest!
Henin is “starting to have to be convinced” that Serena Williams isn’t going to win another major title and now that it is confirmed that Williams will not feature at the first Grand Slam of 2022 as she strives to get back to full fitness.
Henin, a five-time Grand Slam winner, believes Williams has lost some of her terror factor and doubts she can win another major title.
“The young players are starting to fear Serena Williams less, We were afraid of Serena in my era. And a lot of girls continued to be afraid of her for years. Now it’s just not the case anymore and certainly she feels it. You can feel that her attitude on court has changed. There is less self-belief, there is less confidence and potentially, we can ask, is there still the same drive, the same desire?” Said Henin as per Eurosport.
“And frankly, we are allowed to answer ‘no’. That does not take anything from her and she remains someone exceptional in all that she has accomplished. That will never change. And maybe she’s at that point. Maybe she’s in that phase of her life where maybe it’s potentially time to move on,” Henin added.
Williams has shown no indication that she plans to retire anytime soon, and she is still attempting to match Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles championships.
She claimed she is “excited to return and compete at my highest level” after withdrawing from the Australian Open 2022. Henin, on the other hand, believes Williams is unlikely to add to her significant collection presently.
“I’m starting to have to be convinced, that the quest that she had set herself to go and win more Grand Slams, at least one Grand Slam, won’t happen. But it’s always hard to answer ‘100 per cent it’s not going to happen’. And because all the time, I want to say that I remember Serena Williams is from my generation, my time and she’s still here. She gave me so much trouble that I still want to believe that Serena is capable of anything. But you have to be realistic,” she said.
“Maybe she’s also discovering a new life today. Life can be wonderful after tennis. So it will depend on her physical condition, obviously, and on her will to do what it takes. She’s getting older and there are young players who are very physical. I think it’s going to get harder and harder, if not impossible,” Henin further added.
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