PARIS — After a tough three-set loss at the WTA tournament in Nuremberg last Thursday, Kristyna Pliskova became perplexed by the text messages she was receiving. “I saw some messages from a couple of people saying: ‘You can win!’ ” Pliskova said in an interview on Saturday. It was Pliskova, currently ranked No. 70, who had drawn Serena Williams as a first-round opponent in the French Open, on Tuesday, in what will be Williams’s first Grand Slam match in more than a year. Although that might be an unnerving assignment for some players, Pliskova maintained she was delighted by the matchup, particularly since she has never played Williams.

Source: New York Times May 27, 2018 22:18 UTC