Serena Williams Survives Wimbledon’s Third Day — Her Racket, Not So Much

Serena Williams continued to prove exactly why she keeps dominating on the court at 34.

While her first set was not her best, and she became perilously close to leaving Wimbledon before the third round, — something that would never have occurred previously — Serena Williams managed to eke out a win during Wimbledon’s third day against Christina McHale. The victory was not without its frustrations, however; Williams was so frustrated by her performance in her first round against McHale that she took her aggravations out on her racket, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Serena Williams avoids an early exit from Wimbledon https://t.co/Mrq6ZJZ6xa From @Globe_Sports pic.twitter.com/OdSZyvT1E7

— The Globe and Mail (@globeandmail) July 2, 2016

Williams whacked her racket at least four times on the turf from her Centre Court sideline chair and then casually tossed the racket behind her before regaining her sense of control and fighting her way back to victory against McHale. It was a surprising struggle for the top-seeded Serena Williams; McHale has never made it past the third round, according to Japan Times, and if the 65th-ranked McHale had managed to emerge victorious from her court battle with the youngest Williams sister, it would have been the first time that McHale would have survived past the third round at any major competition.

According to Denton Record Chronicle, Serena Williams was not the only Williams sister to carve out a victory at Wimbledon. Venus Williams, who at 36 is the oldest woman on the field at Wimbledon, defeated 29th-seeded Daria Kasatkina and, because of the overlap between her match and her sister’s, kept her mother Oracene Price hopping. Price caught Venus’ victory and then hustled over to Serena Williams’ matchup with McHale to watch her youngest daughter’s victory.

The Serena and Venus Williams victories aren’t the only story at Wimbledon, however. This year’s tournament has been so rain soaked that, for only the fourth time in the history of Wimbledon, matches are scheduled for the middle Sunday of the tournament. The last time this happened at Wimbledon was in 2004.

Of the destruction of her racket, Serena Williams acknowledged the frustration she had felt at the time. The tennis superstar had been within one point of victory, but then dropped the first set in a heartbreaking tiebreaker. Serena Williams had remained philosophical after the unexpected loss, though she said that from a mental standpoint, she was pretty much ready for anything.

“I know that it takes a lot to break me mentally,” she said of the tough matchup she faced with Christina McHale. “And I knew (being down) a break in the third that I was going to have to put my mind in it — and that’s what I did.”

Serena Williams did admit to having been “really, really, really angry” and may face a fine for her display of anger courtside. It was not the first display of anger by Serena Williams during a major; in September 2009, Daily Mail reports that Serena Williams took on a line judge after being called for a foot fault at the U.S. Open, apparently saying, “If I could, I would take this ******* ball and shove it down your ******* throat.”

Serena Williams on outburst before #Wimbledon victory: ‘I was just really, really angry’ https://t.co/Ca0GkMwRI1 pic.twitter.com/ZyF3jxsd4k

— People Magazine (@people) July 1, 2016

That incident cost Serena Williams a point on match point and effectively handed a semi-final victory to Belgian Kim Clijsters, who went on to win the U.S. Open that year. While Serena Williams has acknowledged that her temper is far less volatile than it used to be, it is clear that at times — just like the rest of us — there are moments where the 34-year-old still needs a tighter rein on her frustration.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist is heading into the third round of play at Wimbledon while her sister Venus is one of only two women who have made it into the fourth round thus far. While she is no doubt pleased for her sister, it’s almost certain that Serena Williams is looking for similar success for herself at Wimbledon.

[AP Photo/Ben Curtis]