Serena Williams Takes Her Losses Badly, Others 'Fake' Their Image, Ex-Tennis Champ Says

A former tennis champ said only Serena Williams takes losses hard and accused new generation players of faking their image after a loss.

Marion Bartoli is a former Wimbledon champion who has recently questioned whether the attitude of new generation tennis stars are real or fake. In a compelling interview on "The Tennis Podcast," Bartoli opened up on her incredible career and 2013 triumph at the All England Club. The 35-year-old tennis legend also revealed her post-retirement struggle with anorexia and how pressure from her parents led to fear of failure that defined her career.

“I felt that my parents gave up so much and put so much effort into me that being a failure was not an option. After a loss it was sometimes a three or four day period where I couldn’t eat. I was just locking myself in a hotel room just drinking water for three or four days,” Bartoli revealed.

According to the Frenchwoman, dealing with losses was a “painful process,” but in the long run, she learned to use it for her own advantage.

“It was almost like a little death I had to survive from and rebuild and restart. That was painful and a difficult process and very draining but I felt in the long term that helped me to push myself to limits I never thought I’d be able to achieve,” she recalled.

Almost her entire professional career, Bartoli took her losses hard. Looking at how present day tennis players deal with defeat nowadays, Bartoli thinks that something is holding them back especially after a devastating loss in order to maintain a façade. She also cited that only living legend Williams is thus far the champion she knew who infamously takes her losses badly.

“I feel the way the new generation has been brought up, a lot more social media, a lot more ‘fake’ interaction with people, it’s more about how you can sort of fake it in a way. I try to step back and not judge the outside that looks a little bit fake, but I believe that if you want to win really huge things, you have to really feel a loss,” Bartoli said.

Spain’s Paula Badosa is a professional tennis player who was once dubbed as the next Maria Sharapova. Same as Bartoli, Badosa also dealt with struggles from defeats. According to Badosa, at 18, everything was so overwhelming that she ended up being depressed after a series of devastating losses.