2014 CHARLESTON: Serena Upset By World #78 Cepelova

Just a few days after winning her 7th title in her "hometown tournament" at the Sony Open, Serena Williams suffered a shock loss to World #78 Jana Cepelova in the 2nd round (her first match) at the 2014 Family Circle Cup. Despite being the 2-time defending champion, Serena lost 4-6 4-6 (and initially trailed 0-5 in the first set before rallying) and never looked herself against an opponent she had never played before. It was her first loss on clay in 28 matches, as she is also the defending Roland Garros champion.

Sports Illustrated reports

Williams, the two-time defending champion, chalked up her poor form to the cumulative effect of two incredible years of nearly nonstop play. Since the start of 2012, Williams has played 149 matches and won 20 titles, including 12 in the last 12 months. That’s an unprecedented amount of play for the 32-year-old Williams, who was known for keeping a fairly limited schedule in her younger years, but increased her workload after she started working with coach Patrick Mouratoglou following the French Open loss two years ago. 

“I’m really just dead,” Williams said. “I need some weeks off where I don’t think about tennis and kind of regroup. I’ve had a long couple of years, and I’m really a little fatigued.”

Let's hope Serena takes some time off and come back refreshed for the Madrid-Rome swing lead-up to Paris!