Serena Williams' day Sunday was summed up perfectly in a tweet.
"Serena Williams is hitting Ray Moore's sexism so much better than she hit the tennis ball today, you guys," New York Times freelance writer Ben Rothenberg said.
The world's No. 1 player so perfectly and admirably put Indian Wells CEO Raymond Moore's sexist comments that female players needing to thank their male counterparts for carrying the sport of tennis, but it overshadowed a serious issue that is developing in Serena's game.
Williams has not won a match in seven months -- the 2015 Cincinnati Masters in August. It's her longest drought since going eight months between wins from 2011 (Rogers Cup in August) to 2012 (Volvo Open in April).
She has lost in three straight finals appearances, dating to the 2015 U.S. Open. Nerves have been a factor in each one.
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"But in a few of the biggest moments of her career, when matches have been more than just matches, Serena has been tight," Tennis.com reported. "She lost to Sam Stosur in the 2011 U.S. Open final, when she wanted badly to win on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and last year she lost to Roberta Vinci on the same court with a chance at the calendar-year Grand Slam. An Indian Wells final, after what happened to her there, after the time away and her desire to write a "different ending" to her story at the event, was never going to be just another day at the office. When it was over, Serena couldn't hold back the tears as she thanked the crowd for its support."
Serena currently sits at 21 Grand Slam victories, one behind Steffi Graf for the Open era record and three behind Margaret Court for the all-time record.
Her Australian Open record loss to Angelique Kerber was surprising with regard to the pressure because it was supposed to have gone away after she fell short of completing the calendar Grand Slam in 2015 with her U.S. Open semifinals loss.
Before the Indian Wells finals, her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, told ESPN that Serena was "really pumped up," according to Tennis.com. But her confidence left quickly when she was broken in the first game of the match.
After the match, Williams conceded that nerves of being in an Indian Wells final for the first time since her fateful victory in 2001, in which she, her father and sister Venus were booed and vowed never to return.
Serena had better put an end to her drought soon, or she may never catch Graf, which was unthinkable seven months ago.
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