Serena Williams Reveals Tragic Factor Behind Worst Career Loss

Serena Williams revealed she learned the man convicted of killing her half-sister Yetunde Price in 2003 was released on parole just minutes before her match against Johanna Konta.

Konta inflicted the most lopsided defeat of Williams' career when she went on to win 6-1, 6-0 in the first round of the Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, California, last month.

The American was not too worried about the manner of the defeat though, as she stated she had a lot on her mind at the time.

"I know I can play a zillion times better so that kind of helps out, too," Williams said after her loss to Konta. "I have so many things on my mind; I don’t have time to be shocked about a loss that clearly wasn’t at my best right now."

Williams would go on to withdraw from the Rogers Cup, later citing "postpartum emotions" as the reason why she pulled out. And in a recent profile piece for TIME Magazine, the 36-year-old revealed what was really going on in her mind during the Konta match.

Minutes before she was set to step on court, she discovered on Instagram that Robert Edward Maxfield, the man who shot Price, a mother of three, was released on parole earlier in the year. Maxfield was initially sentenced to 15 years in jail in April 2006.

"I couldn’t shake it out of my mind," Williams said. "It was hard because all I think about is her kids and what they meant to me. And how much I love them. No matter what, my sister is not coming back for good behavior. It’s unfair that she’ll never have an opportunity to hug me."

"But also … The Bible talks about forgiveness. I’m not there yet. I would like to practice what I preach, and teach [my daughter] Olympia that as well. I want to forgive. I have to get there. I’ll be there."

The Konta defeat came just a few weeks after the 23-time Grand Slam winner's loss to Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon final.

Williams most recently took part in the Cincinnati Open where she exited in the second round after a 3-6, 6-2, 3-6 defeat to Petra Kvitova earlier this week. She acknowledged her comeback from maternity leave will be a long process, having only returned to competitive action in March.

"You know, this is a long comeback," Williams explained. "I just began. I just started — definitely at the very, very beginning. I’m getting there, and I’m going to just continue to work hard, and hopefully, I’ll start winning more matches. I think it was a good match today. We both played at a really high level. Only one person could win."

Williams is expected to take part in the U.S. Open later this month where she is the current betting favorite. The final Grand Slam of the year takes place from Aug. 27 to Sept. 9.