'One injury away': Tennis great's brazen Serena Williams prediction

Tennis doubles great Pam Shriver has claimed icon Serena Williams could be only one injury away from calling time on her illustrious career following a long-layoff since her devastating Wimbledon exit.

Williams hasn't taken part in a tournament since she was forced to retire hurt in the first round at Wimbledon after she slipped over on the grass.

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The 23-time grand slam champion shocked many fans when she withdrew from the US Open due to the same hamstring injury.

While Williams said she 'hoped to get back on the court very soon,' there has been no sign of when that will be.

And during the podcast: 'The Goat: Serena', Rennae Stubbs and Shriver talked about Williams' longevity and prospects heading into a new season at the age of 40.

Shriver, who is now a commentator, said she doubts Williams will be able to recover so easily from too many more injuries.

“Yeah, I think, you know, obviously she’s reaching a point where, with what we saw at the Wimbledon, with the slip, the injury, she couldn’t finish Wimbledon," Shriver said.

"She’s getting to a point where, physically, obviously, she is walking that fine line, where it’s almost one injury away from not being able to continue on and that’s gonna be a difficult day for tennis and obviously for her."

The 22-time grand slam doubles winner went on to praise Williams for her influence, not just in tennis, but the wider community.

“Obviously, she’s a mother, she’s a wife, she’s an entrepreneur, she’s got a venture fund, I believe," Shriver added.

She’s interested in business, she’s interested in entertainment. So, it’s like a walking mogul, who happens to be the greatest female tennis player of all time.

"So, she is one of the most interesting people that I have come in contact with."

Serena Williams stranded on 23 grand slam titles

Williams' withdrawal from the US Open left her stranded on 23 grand slam titles, still one behind the all-time record set by Australian great Margaret Court.

The 40-year-old hasn't won a grand slam title since the 2017 Australian Open, finishing runner-up on four occasions since.

Even after taking time out that year to have her baby daughter Olympia, she was expected to return as dominant as ever and break Court's record.

But it hasn't happened that way with Williams reaching four finals - two at Wimbledon (2018, 2019) and two at the US Open (2018, 2019) - and falling short every time.

Coach Patrick Mouratoglou insisted it was just a question of time before Williams returns to the courts.

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