Speculations on Serena Williams’ Peculiar Behaviour at Wimbledon; Williams Shrugs Off Hearsays, Spotted With a Mystery Man in Croatia

Serena Williams of the U.S. reacts during her women's singles quarter-final match against Zhang Shuai of China at the Rome Masters tennis tournament May 16, 2014. REUTERS

Serena Williams' peculiar behaviour at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships has remained the subject of many thoughts and speculations. It was evident that something was wrong with the top-ranked American female tennis athlete, but was it due to a viral illness or was there something else that affected her overall condition?

Former American professional tennis player and ESPN's tennis broadcaster Pam Shriver said something during the beginning of the doubles match that led fans to believe she was indirectly accusing Williams of drug use. "It's almost like she has taken something that makes her dizzy, disoriented, and she cannot reach up and strike a ball," Shriver chanted. Even after the match, ESPN's Chris Evert was dogged to question if Serena had taken something, Business Insider reported. "Is it a virus? Is it something unintentional or intentional in her system that they may drug test for," said Evert.

Shriver and Evert have long since extended their apologies for making up statements about Serena's health condition during the tournament.

Wimbledon officials released an official statement declaring that the reason why Serena was forced to withdraw in the doubles match was due to a viral illness, but some weren't convinced. Bleacher Report's Merlisa Lawrence Corbett was one who didn't buy the justification. "Viral illness, that's such a non-sexy explanation, it had to be something else."

Some reports suggested that Serena's coach Patrick Mouratoglou, to whom she has romantically been linked in the past, could have played a role in her poor performance.

Despite the numerous hearsays surrounding her surprise exit at Wimbledon, Serena expressed her indifference by going on a trip to Croatia. The 32-year-old 17-time Grand Slam champion was spotted with a mystery man at a beach in Pula, Croatia, NY Daily News reported. As the news outlet put it, Serena looked "rested and vibrant" in a peach and red two-piece bikini.

According to her official Web site, Serena is expected to participate in the World Tennis Association (WTA) Bank of the West Classic event in Stanford, California.