The Unfortunate Tale of Ms S

A short post today, because what more can I say about Serena that has not been said?

I think we were all really, really looking forward to having her back. When she went out, Serena was so far above the rest of the field that I think everyone was subconsciously expecting her to return there - to immediately re-ascend her throne and command the WTA during the Slams. And it looked like Roland Garros was her comeback time, and we were all excited, and...

And now Serena's been admitted to hospital with a pulmonary embolism and a subsequent hematoma and could be out for another year. And the question is beginning to be asked - not by me yet, I would hasten to add, but the question is out there - will she ever come back?

I'm sure there's a bunch of Serena skeptics out there who, just like when she was in the boot for an extended time, thought that she was faking it and it was all a big act, ra ra ra. I hope these people have the taste and decency to bite their tongues this time, because this is serious business. According to her statement, Serena is recuperating at home under strict medical supervision and hopes to be back by early summer. (Is anyone else confused as to what 'early summer' means? Which summer?) But her main goal, if she is to come back, is to come back safely.

Which, duh.

It is terribly, terribly sad that Serena's experienced another setback on her road to recovery. What seemed like a reasonably little deal at the beginning - Serena cutting her foot on broken glass outside a restaurant - has blossomed into something very big and scary and worrying. The WTA is not the same without Serena. And I'm sure she wants to be back playing as much as we want her back.

Get well soon, Serena.