Perth, Australia: World number one Serena Williams complained of tiredness after being trounced by Canadian Eugenie Bouchard at the mixed teams Hopman Cup yesterday.
Williams was humbled by the sixth-ranked Bouchard in straight sets as Canada upset the tournament favourites 2-1.
Williams went down one set against 12th-ranked Flavia Pennetta in her first outing in Perth on Monday but was rejuvenated by a mid-match coffee and went on to beat the Italian. However, there was to be no coffee-inspired miracle against the sixth-ranked Bouchard, who doubled-faulted five times in her first two services games and yet cruised to an emphatic 6-2, 6-1 win over the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion.
Errors flowed off the Williams racquet during her match with Bouchard and the 33-year-old said she hadn’t been feeling at her best since arriving in Perth on Saturday.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I am so tired, it’s so weird,” she said when asked if she was suffering from jet lag.
“I can’t get my body to move and I feel like I have no energy.
“It is a little frustrating because I know I can play 2000 times better.” But Williams said she wasn’t overly concerned by the issue.
“I’m so fit, I can run 10km, I don’t know how to describe it,” she said. Williams certainly played with renewed vigour in the later mixed doubles rubber. In beating Williams for the first time, Bouchard rebounded strongly from the disappointment of Canada’s opening tie, when she was beaten 6-0, 6-4 by the Czech Republic’s in-form Lucie Safarova. AFP
