"It's unprofessional, it's not cool" - When Serena Williams was disappointed in herself after shock Australian Open exit

Serena Williams came into the 2020 Australian Open as one of the main favorites, having previously won the ASB Classic in Auckland a few days earlier. However, it was not a fun time for the American in Melbourne, who crashed out in the third round unexpectedly.

Williams' conqueror came in the form of Wang Qiang, the Chinese No. 27 seed. After losing the opening set 4-6, the 23-time Grand Slam champion roared into the contest by taking the second set 7-6(2) in a tiebreaker. However, Wang took the third with a final break of serve, winning it 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5 to sink the No. 8 seed.

Speaking to the press later, Serena Williams was shocked at the loss, admitting that she expected to use the momentum of winning the second set to grab the match.

After dedicating a few words of praise for her conqueror, Williams quickly criticized herself for the display on the night, calling it unprofessional and unbecoming of someone of her quality.

“I was optimistic that I would be able to win. I thought, ‘OK, now finish this off.’ I honestly didn’t think I was going to lose that match,” Williams said.

“I didn’t return like Serena. Honestly, if we were just honest with ourselves, I lost that match,” Williams said. “I can’t play like that. I literally can’t do that again. It’s unprofessional. It’s not cool. I’m better than that,” she added.

Williams made a return to the Australian Open in 2021 for her final appearance at the tournament, going all the way to the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Naomi Osaka.

Serena Williams wanted to make sure she never played 'like that again' after Australian Open 2020 exit

US Open Tennis Tournament 2018 - Source: Getty

At the press interaction, Serena Williams insisted that her age should not be seen as an excuse for the way she lost. In fact, the American wanted to get to training the following morning, just to make sure she never played like that again in her career.

“I’m way too old to play like this at this stage of my career,” Williams said. “Definitely going to be training tomorrow, that’s first and foremost — to make sure I don’t do this again.”

Unfortunately for Williams, 2020 marked the beginning of the end for her. After a shortened spell that year, she played even less tennis in 2021 before finally hanging up her racket in 2022 with a final appearance at home at the US Open.