Serena Williams Dealing With Illness, Collapsed After French Open Semifinal

PARIS — Serena Williams says she “just kind of collapsed” after winning her French Open semifinal and has been resting at her Paris apartment for Saturday’s final.

Before facing Lucie Safarova with a chance for a third title at Roland Garros and 20th Grand Slam singles trophy overall, Williams didn’t practice Friday, and she didn’t do a pre-final news conference, either.

Instead, she issued a statement in a question-and-answer format that was distributed by the tournament.

“I started to feel unwell around the third or fourth round,” Williams’ statement begins, “and I felt really terrible during the semis” on Thursday, when she came back to beat Timea Bacsinszky after dropping the first set. “I’m actually not sure how I got through the match, and when it was over, I just kind of collapsed. I couldn’t move.”

The statement continues: “I think I have some kind of flu, which makes it tough, because it’s just a matter of resting and keeping hydrated — there’s not much else I can do. I’ve felt really cold so I’m just fighting that, trying to sweat it out.”

Williams added that a doctor would be going to her home in Paris to check on her Friday “and we’ll see if he can do anything else to help, but I don’t think there’s anything.”

Looking ahead to facing the 13th-seeded Safarova, who is from the Czech Republic, Williams said: “She’s a lefty, which always provides difference challenges. I know I’m going to have to play really well to win. But at this point, I just want to get better — it’s hard to think about the match or winning another Grand Slam title right now.”

The 33-year-old American would be the second-oldest women’s champion in the history of the French Open if she can beat Safarova, who will be participating in the first Grand Slam singles final of her career.

Thumbnail photo via Susan Mullane/USA TODAY Sports Images