"I threw my phone" - Serena Williams reveals how 'horrible' 1R loss to World No. 111 at French Open 2012 helped her win four Slams in a row

Serena Williams recently cast her mind back to her shocking first-round exit from the 2012 French Open and how it spurred her on to win the next four Majors in a row; a feat fondly referred to as the 'Serena Slam'. According to the former No. 1 and 23-time singles Slam champion, she wouldn't have been able to accomplish the feat had it not been for her first-round loss at Roland Garros.

On a recently-released episode of the Stockton Street podcast, which Williams co-hosts with fellow tennis legend and elder sister Venus, the 44-year-old recalled how French former WTA player Virginie Razzano (the World No. 111 at the time) downed her 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 in the first round of the 2012 French Open. Up until that point, Williams had never lost a first-round match at a Major.

Revisting the frustration she felt in the aftermath of the result, Serena Williams said:

"So for me, I had a moment like that at the French Open. I'd never lost in the first round of a Grand Slam. I lost in the first round to this lady and I remember I saw that match and I threw my phone." (from 30:43)

Subsequently though, Williams admitted that despite the "horrible" nature of the result, it motivated her to such an extent that she ended up winning the next four Slams on the trot.

"It was horrible, but as much as I hated losing that match, that was one match that helped me win four Grand Slams in a row and if I'd never lost that I wouldn't have done that," she added.

"A champion isn’t defined by how much they win but how they recover from downs, whether those are injuries or losses" - Serena Williams at 2013 French Open

Serena Williams in action during the women's singles final at the 2013 French Open (Source: Getty)

Serena Williams' stinging loss to Virginie Razzano in the first round of the 2012 French Open led to the American getting so fired up that she ended up winning that year's Wimbledon Championships and US Open, as well as the 2013 Australian Open and French Open to complete the famed 'Serena Slam'.

During her title-winning campaign at Roland Garros in 2013, Williams reflected on her 2012 loss to Razzano along with her self-doubt at not having won the clay Major more than once at the time since her 2002 title triumph.

"There was definitely a few years I thought I could have won and I didn’t. It was mostly on my racquet and my fault that I didn’t win, but for the most part, I’m still here, still fighting and doing the best I can in each of my matches," Serena Williams said. "It’s about winning and losing. I’m still a little bit upset about that loss last year but it’s all about how you recover. A champion isn’t defined by how much they win but how they recover from downs, whether those are injuries or losses," she added.

Williams went on to complete the 'Serena Slam' by defeating fierce rival Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-4 in the women's singles final of the 2013 French Open.

Edited by Sudipto Pati