Serena Williams Pulls Out of Another Match Due to 'Viral Infection'

It has happened again: Serena Williams has retired from a tennis match for the second time in as many months.

She was stricken with what is being dubbed a viral illness 11 games into her match with Alize Cornet at the Wuhan Open. Williams was reportedly visiblly ill while on the court and was taken to a hospital simply as a precaution after retiring.

Williams has been plagued with illness this year but managed to win the US Open before deciding to pull out of Wimbledon, where she was set to play a doubles match with her sister Venus Williams. Ironically, Cornet is the woman that beat her in singles at Wimbledon in July. The champ has been hit-and-miss in recent months, leaving fans to wonder why she seems to be so far from her consistent best.

Williams also raised eyebrows a few weeks ago after she blew off some scheduled interviews after her US Open win. She did some unapologetic partying into the wee hours of the morning after her win and reportedly could not begin to pull herself together for the early morning show rounds.

This kind of erratic behavior has lead some in the sport to question what is really going on with her and if it is not personal problems rather than random viruses that are disrupting her career.

What do you think is going on behind the scenes with Williams? Is she having a rough year in general, one that Murphy's Law seems to be controlling, or do you think problems in her personal life are affecting how well she is playing the game?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

Tags

Serena Williams, Wimbledon