“I never even dreamed in my wildest nightmares"- When 17-year-old Serena Williams commented on suffering third-round exit at the French Open

Serena Williams made her first appearance at the French Open in 1998 and made it all the way to the fourth round before losing to eventual champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.

The following year, the American was seeded 10th at the clay-court Major and booked her place in the third round with straight-set wins over Laurence Courtois and Mariana Diaz Oliva before losing to compatriot Mary Joe Fernandez 6-3, 1-6, 6-0.

Williams was far from pleased with her defeat and said after the match that she never even dreamed to suffer an elimination in the third round of the French Open.

“It’s really difficult because in all actuality I had planned on doing very well here, even taking the title. I never even dreamed in my wildest nightmares that I would have gone out in the third round," the American said.

Serena Williams also said that there was no excuse for her performance and that she should have been taken off the court.

“There was no excuse for the way I played today, really. I should have been taken off the court and immediately asked to leave the facilities, never to return again," she said.

The third round of the 1999 French Open was the only time Serena Williams and Mary Joe Fernandez would lock horns. The latter was scheduled to take on then-defending champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the fourth but was forced to withdraw due to an injury.

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Serena Williams won three French Open singles titles

Serena Williams and Lucie Safarova with their respective trophies at the 2015 French Open

Serena Williams wasn't as successful at the French Open as she was in the other three Majors but still managed to win the tournament thrice.

Her first title came in 2002 when she beat her sister Venus Williams 7-5, 6-3 in the final. Her second title came 11 years later in 2013 when she defeated Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-4 in the title clash. The American's final title at the clay-court Major came in 2015 after she triumphed 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-2 in the final.

Serena Williams' final appearance at the French Open came in 2021 when she was seeded seventh. She made it to the fourth round with wins over Irina-Camelia Begu, Mihaela Buzarnescu, and Danielle Collins before suffering a 6-3, 7-5 defeat at the hands of Elena Rybakina.

Apart from her singles triumphs, Williams also won two women's doubles titles at the French Open.