“It's hard to imagine Williams will play past the US Open” - Pam Shriver on Serena Williams

Serena Williams made her much-awaited return to the tour at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, though it was short-lived as she made a first-round exit. The American fought hard but went down 7-5, 1-6, 7-6(7) to Harmony Tan in three hours and 10 minutes.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion was making a comeback after being on the sidelines for nearly 12 months after a hamstring injury forced her to withdraw from her first-round match at SW19 last year.

21-time doubles Grand Slam champion Pam Shriver, speaking to ESPN, praised Williams for returning to the court after being out for so long.

“What stood out in her [Serena Williams] three comeback matches was her passion and love for competing. Obviously rusty and not in peak fitness from 12 months off at 40 years of age, the one constant for Williams is her willingness to fight for every point -- singles, doubles, mixed or tiddlywinks,” Shriver said.

The 60-year-old added that Williams will be in better shape for the final Major of the year, but expects the 40-year-old to not play beyond that tournament.

“Williams looked like she did not have enough time to prepare properly for Wimbledon, but maybe the taste of the crowd's enthusiasm for her comeback will fuel her to gain improved fitness leading into the US Open. It's hard to imagine Williams will play past the US Open of 2022,” Shriver said.

Rennae Stubbs, a four-time Grand Slam champion in the women's doubles, added that she was happy to see the American veteran back on the court and is hopeful of Williams achieving some success at the US Open.

“I think it was fantastic to see her back on court, entertaining everyone and letting everyone know how much she still loves this sport and competes to win. I think that her performance at Wimbledon was not surprising as it's been a year since she's played a match, but I suspect we will see her play through the US Open and hopefully with some success,” Stubbs said.

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Serena Williams confirms intentions to compete at US Open 2022

Day Two: The Championships - Wimbledon 2022

While disappointed with making an early exit at Wimbledon, Serena Williams said that did the best she could against Harmony Tan.

Speaking in her post-match press conference, Williams agreed that the lack of competitive match action played a big part in her defeat.

“If you’re playing week in, week out, or even every three weeks, every four weeks, there’s a little bit more match toughness. But with that being said, I felt like I played pretty okay on some of them. Not all of them. Maybe some key ones I definitely could have played better. You've got to think if I were playing matches, I wouldn’t miss some of those points,” Serena Williams said.

While refusing to confirm a return to SW19 next year, the 23-time Major winner confirmed her intentions to compete at this year's US Open.

“That's a question I can't answer [on returning to Wimbledon next year]. I don't know. Who knows? Who knows if I'll be there or not,” Williams said.

“When you are at home, especially in New York, and knowing that the US Open is the first Grand Slam I have won, it is definitely something super special. Your first time is always special. I have a lot of motivation to improve and to play at home,” she added.