Williams has suffered ankle injuries during her career, but Tuesday’s incident looked like it might send the five-time Australian Open champion home early.

Williams held a 4-0 lead in the first set when she chased a return shot to her right.  As she struck the ball, her momentum continued to carry her laterally.  Her right foot rolled outward, bringing the majority of her weight down on the injured ankle.

The 15-time major champion stayed on the ground for several minutes while being attended to by trainers.  Williams covered her face with her hands, but looked relieved when she was able to bear weight on her foot.   She limped over to her chair to have her ankle, which was taped before the match, readdressed.

“I think I was really, really close to panicking because a very similar thing happened to me last year, almost on the same side, the same shot,” said Williams. “So I almost panicked, and I thought, ‘I can’t do that. I just have to really remain calm and think things through.'”

Williams went on to win the set, and eventually the match, but she needed trainers to adjust her taping twice more during the match.  The injury didn’t seem to slow her down, but she was clearly playing through some discomfort as evidenced by her wincing following a jump shot in the second set.  Despite the pain, Williams plans to continue her quest for a sixth Australian Open title.

“Oh, I’ll be out there,” said Williams, in reference to her second round match. “I’m alive.  My heart’s beating.  I’ll be fine.”

Williams has dealt with injuries in major tournaments before, so she’s still confident in her abilities.

“I’ve been injured before,” she said. “I’ve played this tournament with so many injuries and was able to come off pretty on top.”

Williams is favored to win the tournament, having won 35 of her past 36 matches “down under”.  She’ll rest Wednesday before returning to the court Thursday to take on Garbine Muguruza.

Dr. Silverman comments

Serena is dealing with a classic inversion sprain.

Serena was moving from side to side when she tried to push off her right ankle, which rolled even though she was on a flat surface.  This occurred because she has weakened lateral ligaments.

Now, Serena is strong as an ox and I have amazing respect for her ability to function at such a high level, but her ankle instability puts her at a greater risk to roll or turn her ankle.  With that said, she must have extremely strong peroneal muscles to accommodate for her ankle instability.

This isn’t the first time she’s suffered an inversion sprain in her right ankle, and if she doesn’t seek proper treatment she may very well suffer the sprain once again.  Serena needs to consider that long-term repetitive spraining puts her at an increased risk of arthritis and tendon tearing.

I understand that there is rarely a “convenient” time for an athlete to undergo surgery, as competing on such a high level requires nearly year-round training, but she’d be better off by undergoing ankle ligament reconstruction.  The surgery would help her build ankle strength, and she’d be less likely to sprain her ankle from routine activity like moving right or left.

Related source:  ESPN.com

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