Paris (AFP)

It's a disappointment and not a poor performance: still hampered by an Achilles tendon that has been causing her pain since the US Open, Serena Williams put a very premature end, Wednesday before the second round, to her career at Roland -Garros which is being played this year in climatic conditions that it tastes little.

“Achilles tendon is a real injury that you don't want to play with, because it's not good if it gets worse. I didn't want to come to that, while I still have a chance that it heals, "said the 39-year-old American after giving up playing against Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova (157th).

The 9th in the world has suffered from an elongation in this tendon since the semi-final in Flushing Meadows against Victoria Azarenka 3 weeks ago: she had requested a medical time out to have an additional bandage placed around a left ankle already scrupulously strapped, before finally losing at the end of a fierce match.

Two days later, she had withdrawn from the tournament in Rome, which served as preparation for Roland Garros and adaptation to clay.

Instead, she had prepared in France with her trainer Patrick Mouratoglou.

"I am not 100% physically, but I do not know any athlete who feels in perfect physical shape. I would not play if I did not think I could be successful," she explained before the start of the Internationals. France.

Titled three times at Roland-Garros (2002, 2013 and 2015) where she made her debut in 1998, she did not show extreme enthusiasm at the idea of ​​playing on Parisian clay this year due to sanitary conditions (the absence of a bubble like in New York and the obligation to stay in a hotel chosen by the organization but not reserved for the only players did not pack it) and climatic conditions much colder and humid for this fall edition of a tournament used to sunny spring days.

- "I hate cold" -

"I hate the cold. The cold and me, that's two," she admitted just before the start of the tournament, seeing her "Achilles heel" there.

"But I do with it, I take it on the safe side," she immediately added.

The state of mind changed in the space of a few days and after a sluggish first round against her compatriot Kristie Ahn (102nd), finally beaten in two sets 7-6 (7/2), 6-0.

Wednesday, Serena Williams appeared firm in her decision to end without even playing her 18th Roland Garros: "I need four to six weeks, at least two weeks to do nothing".

Only her sister Venus, 40, did better with 23 participations, but she has not gone beyond the round of 16 since 2006 (quarter).

Between them, Venus and Serena have won 34% of Grand Slam tournaments since the first major title of one of them, the US Open won by Serena in 1999 ...

- Court's record -

Eliminated in the third round last year, she had already withdrawn from Roland-Garros before her round of 16 in 2018, and had missed the 2017 edition due to pregnancy.

Since her 7th success at the Australian Open in 2017, Serena Williams has been desperate to clinch a 24th Grand Slam title to equal Margaret Court's record.

She has played four finals since (Wimbledon and US Open 2018 and 2019), without ever managing to overcome this last obstacle.

But the champion, who has built her record over two decades with a tennis and a physique too powerful for her opponents, remains relentlessly among the favorites of every tournament she plays.

And as long as it is so, this mother, who has already started her conversion into a fashion business manager, does not seem inclined to retire from tennis.

"Honestly, I never thought I would play at my age (...) I don't know when this is going to end for me. I'm just having fun. If I feel it's over, it's over ", she said before the start of Roland-Garros 2020.

And put on a layer after his package: "Paris, I love you and don't worry: I'll be back".

This promise should a priori also apply to Victoria Azarenka, another big loser of the day, but on the court this time.

The Belarusian, world No. 2 and recent US Open finalist, was stopped dead in the second round of Roland Garros by the Slovakian Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova (161st) in straight sets 6-2, 6-2.

© 2020 AFP