The big story out of Roland Garros yesterday wasn’t from a match that had been completed, but, rather, from one that didn’t push through. Indeed, Serena Williams’ last-minute decision to withdraw from her scheduled fourth-round meeting with longtime nemesis Maria Sharapova was greeted with disappointment by fans, and with reason. Up until the 2018 French Open produced a first week that lined up the set-to, not a few quarters appeared resigned to seeing their best against each other in the past tense.
To be sure, the fact that dismay reigned in and of itself represents progress. Given Williams’ complicated pregnancy and childbirth and Sharapova’s extended sidelining due to a drug-related suspension, their fitness heading into the year’s second major event was a big question mark. Now, it’s fair for pundits to consider yesterday’s news, however unfortunate, as merely a delaying of the inevitable. The odds are very, very good that they will meet again, and, perhaps, even later in any given draw.
Needless to say, both protagonists expressed displeasure that their 22nd career meeting had to be scuttled. Notwithstanding the rust, Williams noted that she was prepared for the encounter. Not without irony, her desire to be at her sharpest may well have contributed to her injury; she entered in the doubles competition with sister Venus to improve her conditioning, but, in so doing, exposed herself to exactly the type of injury she suffered. Meanwhile, Sharapova professed to being ready for, and even expectant of, victory, the decidedly one-sided head-to-head record notwithstanding.
Admittedly, Williams and Sharapova are past their prime. Still, they arguably remain the most compelling rivalry in women’s tennis; regardless of the quality of the games, the sheer star power on display and the heady mix of talent, stubbornness, and resolve make their clashes eminently watchable. Forget the scores; no showdowns are better, and yesterday’s development looks to be just a chapter in their lifelong saga of one-upmanship.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
