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What happened when Serena Williams made her only appearance at the Wuhan Open in 2014

Serena Williams made her only appearance at the Wuhan Open in 2014, marking a rare off-day for the tennis legend. Entering the inaugural edition of the WTA 1000 event as the world No.

1, Williams had just secured her 18th Grand Slam title at the US Open, arriving in peak form. Seeded first, she received a bye into the second round, where she faced Alizé Cornet, a French player who had already defeated her twice that year, including at Wimbledon.

The match took an unexpected turn when Williams, leading 6-5 in the first set, retired due to a viral illness, citing dizziness and nausea. She apologized to the crowd afterward, expressing regret for the early exit and praising the tournament’s organization, though she never returned to Wuhan after that single appearance.

Williams’ sole match at the Wuhan Open remains one of her few losses in WTA 1000 tournaments, where she had otherwise dominated with eight titles across 15 appearances. The 2014 defeat to Cornet stands as an outlier in her decorated career, which spanned over three decades and included victories at major events like Indian Wells, Miami, and Madrid.

Despite her intention to return in 2015, Williams never competed in Wuhan again, leaving her 2014 retirement as her only recorded performance at the tournament.

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