Losing is never easy. It can be a top-tier player or an unseeded one. The goal of any athlete is to win. So, in 2019, when the 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams lost the Wimbledon finals to Simona Halep, the reaction of the player baffled the locker room.

The former world no.1 could not handle the defeat and Marion Bartoli described the incident that took place after her loss.

Serena Williams’ reaction after her 2019 Wimbledon loss against Simona Halep

Serena Williams was trying to add the 24th grand slam title to her list. She was playing in the final against Simona Halep at Wimbledon, but lost. The disappointment of losing the match brought out an extreme reaction from her. Marion Bartoli narrated the incident that followed her defeat. She said, “In the dressing room, after the match, she told me, ‘I don’t want to take the finalist trophy, I miss the champion’s trophy, if you want, I’ll give it to you.'”

Bartoli expressed her remorse over her reaction. She said, “We had a lot of fun, but the saddest thing is that she wasn’t kidding, she actually left the trophy there.” She added, “The lady in charge of organizing the Wimbledon tournament was pale when she saw this.”

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Expressing her discontent, she said, “I’m a player who would kill her mother and father to see that trophy, and Serena left it there like some kind of cookie and appetizer tray.”

Can Williams win her 24th grand slam title?

The former world no.1 won her last grand slam title in 2017. After that, she played in four finals, but has failed to win in all of those. In her essay written for Vogue, she addressed those losses and accepted that breaking the all time record was at the back of her mind. The legendary American player will play her last grand slam tournament at the upcoming US Open.

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Although her fans will be hoping for a strong showing from Serena, her recent form on the tour has been anything but convincing. She lost in the Cincinnati Masters and the National Bank Open in the first two rounds, and will now gear up for the hard-court major for one last time.

Do you think Serena can secure an unlikely win at Flushing Meadows later this month?