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The French Open is the Grand Slam tournament that Serena Williams has played in and won the least, but it has been anything but a footnote in her long and layered career.
The gritty red clay blunts some of her power and limits her ability to change direction in a flash, but she has managed to rise above in Paris after traversing some deep valleys, including her only first-round defeat in a major singles tournament.
In that sense, her up-and-down experience at Roland Garros is a microcosm of her broader tennis journey.