World reacts to disappointment of Serena's withdrawal

Some couldn't help but think of Sharapova, who strolls into the quarterfinals.

With Serena Williams withdrawing from her fourth-round showdown with Maria Sharapova at Roland Garros, the tennis world scrambled to make sense of the news.

"I unfortunately have been having some issues with my pec, my pec muscle, and has unfortunately been getting worse to the point where right now I can't actually serve," Williams said. "It's kind of hard to play when I can't physically serve."

Of course, health is always the No. 1 priority, but the disappointment was real for everyone from reporters to fans and followers.

After the news  broke, Williams appeared in a press conference, calmly explaining what forced her to pull out of a major for the first time mid-tournament without trying to complete the match.

"I'm beyond disappointed. I gave up so much, from time with my daughter to time with my family. I put everything on the court. All for this moment," she said. "So it's really difficult to be in this situation, but I always, for now in my life, I just always try to think positive and just think of the bigger picture and hopefully the next events and the rest of the year."

There are some positives to take from all this, especially with Williams not ruling Wimbledon out just yet.

She'll get an MRI on Tuesday. The clues were all there during her doubles loss on Sunday, with a reduced serve speed, a 6-0 third set loss and walking off the court without carrying her own bag.

Some couldn't help but think of Sharapova, who strolls into the quarterfinals.

Sharapova had a 2-19 record against Williams. It's her first quarterfinal appearance at a major since the 2016 Australian Open, where she lost to Williams in straight sets.

—Tennis Channel Plus features up to 10 courts of live action from Roland Garros beginning Sunday, May 27 at 5:00am ET.

—Catch up and watch all your favorite stars anytime on-demand with Tennis Channel Plus.

—When you buy Tennis Channel Plus, your 12-month subscription gets you access to every ATP Masters 1000 tournament played outside the U.S., and every round through the finals of WTA Indian Wells, Miami and Cincinnati.

(The availability of matches or events on TC Plus is subject to change.)

Sharapova had a 2-19 record against Williams. It's her first quarterfinal appearance at a major since the 2016 Australian Open, where she lost to Williams in straight sets.

—Tennis Channel Plus features up to 10 courts of live action from Roland Garros beginning Sunday, May 27 at 5:00am ET.

—Catch up and watch all your favorite stars anytime on-demand with Tennis Channel Plus.

—When you buy Tennis Channel Plus, your 12-month subscription gets you access to every ATP Masters 1000 tournament played outside the U.S., and every round through the finals of WTA Indian Wells, Miami and Cincinnati.

(The availability of matches or events on TC Plus is subject to change.)