Serena Williams revealed why she has been wearing large black plasters or medical tape on her face during at Wimbledon matches on Tuesday.
It is now known that the 23-time grand slam winner wore the black plasters for medical reasons. Williams is struggling with pain in her sinuses.
“My secret’s out. I’m a sinus sufferer. Playing tennis or pretty much doing anything everyday is not easy when you have sinuses.” Williams told Reuters.
“You feel a lot of pressure, congestion and pain and training for grand slams such as Wimbledon and the French Open, it’s not easy,” she added.
Williams faced France’s Harmony Tan in an epic first round of the tournament, but was knocked out 5-7 6-1 6-7.
Asked if Tuesday’s match could have been her last, the former world number 1 said: ‘That’s a question I can’t answer right now. Who knows? Who knows where I will turn up?”
“Physically I was fine, only at the last few points did I really start to feel it. But I moved well and brought back a lot of balls. That was no surprise to me. I just haven’t trained for three-hour duels. I think it went wrong there.
“I certainly wouldn’t be at peace with this if this were my last memory, absolutely not. This definitely gives me motivation to get back on the training tracks, as I didn’t play badly and came so close.” Williams added.
Although little is known about the upcoming months, Williams could very well compete in the US Open.
“Playing at home, in a place where I won my first grand slam, is always special. There is definitely a lot of motivation to get better and play at home.” Williams said.
Williams last won a Grand Slam tournament in 2017. More than five years ago she won the Australian Open.
