ROME — Nine months removed from her last title, Serena Williams won the Italian Open on Sunday and then played down the significance of ending the drought, one of the longest of her career.
Williams, who had played in only four tournaments over that stretch, said her 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory over Madison Keys in Sunday’s final was satisfying but not necessarily a relief.
“It’s only four tournaments, so it’s not like I was playing every week,” said Williams, 34, whose last WTA Tour title had come at the Cincinnati Masters in August. “So that’s kind of how I look at it.