Serena Williams left stranded behind Margaret Court after loss

An exasperated Serena Williams felt like punching a wall after her Open defeat left her stranded one major short of Margaret Court’s record.

Serena Williams screams in frustration during her third-round defeat to China’s Wang Qiang. Picture: AFP

An exasperated Serena Williams felt like punching a wall after her Australian Open defeat. She complained of making too many unforced errors for a professional athlete and jokingly suggested China’s Qiang Wang should undergo a random drug test after the drastic form reversal that triggered the most shocking result of the tournament.

The unheralded Wang, inspired by the memory of her former coach, the late Peter McNamara, defeated Williams 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 in a pulsating battle on Rod Laver Arena. Williams made 96 errors but claimed she could still beat Margaret Court’s all-time majors record this year. The 23-time slam champion was so stunned by the loss to a player she swiped away for the loss of only one game at last year’s US Open that she said, without malice, “I was just thinking about getting to the locker room and pressing, ‘random drug testing’.”

McNamara was one of the great tradesmen of Australian tennis. A top-10 player and Davis Cup champion, he died last year from prostate cancer. He coached Wang for four years, until last year. “Yes, I always dream about him,” she said. “I think he can see what I play today. He will be proud of me. I really hope he can be here to watch I play. Yes, I miss him.”

Williams fought tooth and nail, went hammer and tong, staged a mighty comeback but fell short in a blaze of those missed ground strokes. Twenty-four unforced forehand errors. Twenty-seven unforced backhand errors. Forty forced errors for a combined tally of 96. Wang was steady in temperament and technique, making only 20 unforced errors for the match and holding her nerve when Williams willed herself on in the final stages of their two-hour and 41-minute battle. Williams stays one major shy of Court’s benchmark as Mother Time keeps ticking away on her.

“I honestly didn’t think I was going to lose that match,” Williams said. “I mean, personally I made a lot of errors. I didn’t hit any of those shots in New York, or in general, in a really long time. So that’s good news. I just made far too many errors to be a professional athlete today. I have the signature Serena frustration look that I’ve been working on … and exasperated look … Maybe it was just that (smiling). I don’t play just to have fun. To lose is really not fun. She served well. I didn’t return like Serena. Honestly, if we were just honest with ourselves, it’s all on my shoulders. I lost that match. It is what it is.”

Qiang Wang celebrates after beating Serena Williams. Picture: AAP

Asked if she believed she could still beat Court’s record, Williams replied: “I definitely do believe or I wouldn’t be on tour. I don’t know. I seem to do well the last two slams of the year. I don’t know. I have won them all, several times. Each one is definitely an opportunity for me to go out there and win. But it’s not even about the slams. It’s about just me playing good tennis, and I didn’t do that today. That is more disappointing.

“It’s not even about the win, it’s just more, I’m better than that. That is what it is for me. Like I said, it’s not about the tournament, it’s just like, I can’t play like that. I literally can’t do that again. That’s unprofessional. It’s not cool.”

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Williams claimed defeats stung as much as ever. “I’m just a better actress now,” she said. “I’m no happier than I was 10 years ago. I just have to pretend like I don’t want to punch the wall but in reality, I do. It’s easier and harder to take.

“I’m way too old to play like this at this stage of my career. It’s such a big tournament. It’s no excuse, to be honest. I don’t know if it’s easier or harder. I would say, if anything, it’s harder. There’s no reason I should perform like that. I’m definitely going to be training tomorrow. That’s first and foremost, to make sure I don’t do this again.”

Wang suffered a humiliating 6-1 6-0 loss in 44 minutes to Williams at the US Open. She said an intense off-season was behind the pronounced turnaround.

“Really hard work in the gym,” she said. “I think I have more power than last year. I do gym really much. You can see the result. And in the off-season we do, like, three hours of tennis in a row. I think it’s really helped me to be stronger on the court, mentally tough on the court. My coach, Thomas (Drouet), he always said, I believe 200 per cent, in you, so you must believe in yourself.

“I always believe I can do this one day. But I don’t know which day ... she (Williams) miss a lot today. This is the point.”