セレーナ、ウィンブルドン初戦敗退も「意欲」強調　引退の話題受け流す

【ロンドンＡＦＰ＝時事】テニス、ウィンブルドン選手権の女子シングルス１回戦で敗れ、ショッキングな初戦敗退となったセレーナ・ウィリアムス（米国）が、引退の話題を受け流し、全米オープン出場に向けた「意欲」を強調した。（写真はテニス、ウィンブルドン選手権、女子シングルス１回戦。ラケットに手を合わせるセレーナ・ウィリアムス）
　１年ぶりのシングルス復帰戦に臨んだセレーナは、２８日の１回戦で世界ランキング１１５位のノーシード選手アルモニー・タン（フランス）に５－７、６－１、６－７（７－１０）で敗れた。
　試合後、セレーナは「全米オープンは私が初めて四大大会（グランドスラム）を優勝した場所で、非常に特別。もちろん、もっとプレーを改善してホームで試合をしたいという強い意欲を持っている」とコメント。１９９８年に初出場したウィンブルドンに来年再び戻ってくるのかについては、臆測を拒んだ。
　「目の前の試合だけに集中していた。感触を確かめて、そこを出発点にしたい」
　「次に自分がどこへ現れるかは誰にもわからない」
　セレーナは昨年のウィンブルドン１回戦で、負傷による涙の途中棄権を強いられ、その後はこの試合までシングルスの公式戦から遠ざかった。その間に世界ランキングも１２０４位まで下降し、一時は復帰を疑問視する声も拡大。今大会はワイルドカード（主催者推薦）を得ての出場だった。
　グランドスラム２３勝を挙げているセレーナだが、残りあと一つに迫ったマーガレット・コート氏の史上最多２４勝の記録にはなかなか手が届かずにいる。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/06/29-14:15）

Serena Williams brushed off any talk of retirement on Tuesday by insisting she is motivated to play at the US Open later this year despite a shattering Wimbledon defeat.
The US Open was the place where I won my first Slam, it's super-special. There's definitely a lot of motivation to get better and play at home, the 40-year-old American said.
Williams was speaking after losing in her first singles match for a year when she went down 7-5, 1-6, 7/6 (10/7) to unseeded Harmony Tan, the world number 115, in the opening round of Wimbledon.
The 23-time major winner, who debuted at the All England Club in 1998, refused to speculate on whether or not she will be back at Wimbledon in 2023.
I am just playing for right now. I see how I feel and go from there.
Who knows where I will pop up.
Williams walked onto Centre Court for the evening match and quickly looked rusty. She was broken in her first service game.
Williams, far below her imperious best and apparently lacking fitness, bounced back, breaking in the fourth game to level at 2-2, buoyed by a supportive crowd.
The pair swapped further breaks but Tan, ranked 115th, broke again in the 11th game and held her nerve to close out the set 7-5.
Williams broke after a mammoth second game of the second set and went on to level the match 6-1.
The American was first to break in the decider but Tan levelled at 3-3.
Williams broke again in the ninth game, throwing her arms into the air in jubilation but faltered as she served for the match.
She faced a match point on her own serve in the 12th game but saved it with a forehand volley, taking the contest into a third-set tie-break.
Williams stepped up a gear, winning the first four points as the match, under the Wimbledon roof, ticked past three hours.
But still her French opponent was not down and out, winning the next five points to edge ahead.
Williams, looking out of breath, could not find inspiration, netting when facing a second match point.
- 'I'm so emotional' -
She finished with 61 winners but 54 unforced errors in the 3-hour, 11-minute evening match.
I'm so emotional now, said Tan. She's a superstar. When I was young, I was watching her so many times on the TV.
When I saw the draw, I was really scared. She's such a legend. I thought if I can win one game, two games, that would be really good for me.
Twelve months ago, Williams quit her Wimbledon first-round match in tears after suffering an injury and she had not played singles tennis since until Tuesday.
Doubts had been growing about whether the former world number one -- who has slumped to 1,204th in the rankings after her period of inaction -- would return to the sport.
But she warmed up by teaming up with Ons Jabeur in the doubles at Eastbourne last week.
Williams won the last of her seven Wimbledon singles titles six years ago but reached the final in 2018 and 2019.
The American, who was given a wildcard for this year's tournament, remains stuck on 23 Grand Slam singles titles -- agonisingly one short of Margaret Court's all-time record.