"She is Serena Williams, the greatest female athlete of all time" - Maria Sakkari ahead of the American's return

WTA star Maria Sakkari reckons Serena Williams is the greatest female athlete in the history of sport as the American returns to action this week after a lengthy injury layoff.

Williams, 40, hasn't been in action since injuring her ankle in her first-round loss to Aliaksandra Sasnovich at Wimbledon last year. She's now all set to return to the tour, albeit in doubles, at the Rothesay International in Eastbourne this week, playing with Ons Jabeur.

Sakkari, who grew up watching the Williams sisters - Venus and Serena - feels the latter's return can only be good for the game.

"I grew up watching Serena and Venus because my grandma is a tennis freak," Sakkari said. "I just feel like it's very good for tennis that she is back and I think that it brought a little bit more suspense."

The Greek added that no player wants to face Williams, widely regarded as one of the greatest female tennis players in history.

"I'm sure that everyone wants to avoid her, especially if she wins a few matches," she said. "She will start feeling good about her game, and she is Serena Williams. She is the greatest female athlete of all time."

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"A number of players will be super scared to play her" - Karolina Pliskova on Serena Williams

Day Two: The Championships - Wimbledon 2021

Karolina Pliskova is another WTA player who thinks despite Serena Williams' prolonged absence from the tour, the American remains a formidable opponent.

"She’s an amazing player, and she has achieved so much," said Pliskova. "I think a number of players will be super scared to play her. This is her advantage, but let's see her level."

Pliskova, though, tried to temper expectations, adding that it was difficult to find top gear after a long injury layoff. The 2021 Wimbledon finalist said that age is also not on Williams' side, and game time in a match is a lot different than spending hours in practice.

"It’s a long time not to play," said Pliskova. "She’s not the youngest, and the body takes time to get back in the shape of playing matches and tournaments. It’s still very different to just practicing."

It remains to be seen how Serena Williams will fare at Wimbledon later this month, where she'll seek to go level with Margaret Court (24) for most Grand Slam singles titles. The American hasn't won a Major since the 2017 Australian Open, though, and has lost her last four Slam finals, including two at Wimbledon.