"She's not the No.1 player anymore, but a win over Serena is still a win over Serena" - Alicia Molik on Serena Williams' Wimbledon return

Serena Williams' return to Wimbledon this year has been the talk of the town lately. Many players and tennis experts have voiced their opinions on the same, including Australia's Billie Jean King Cup team captain Alicia Molik.

The 40-year-old Williams, who has plummeted below 1200 in the WTA rankings, hasn't played competitively since injuring her ankle in a first-round loss at Wimbledon last year. However, she recently announced her participation in the grasscourt Major, albeit as a wildcard, exciting fans, players and pundits alike.

Ahead of Williams' 21st appearance at SW-19, where she has won seven singles titles, Molik told ausopen.com that despite the American's lowly ranking, her pedigree makes her the player to beat.

"She's not the No.1 player in the world anymore, but whoever she draws will be desperate to beat her, because it's still Serena," said Molik, adding, "Unfortunately for her, everyone is going to be gunning for her. A win over Serena is still a win over Serena".

With Williams providing no prior hint that she would return to Wimbledon, Molik said she was caught by surprise.

"I'm a big Serena fan, and I follow her on Instagram, and I hadn't seen any tennis posts, so it surprised me as well," Molik said.

Before taking part in Wimbledon, Serena will take part in the Rothesay International in Eastbourne. The 40-year-old received a wildcard for the competition and will partner Ons Jabeur in the women's doubles.

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I'm praying it's a healthy Wimbledon for Serena Williams: Alicia Molik

Day Two: The Championships - Wimbledon 2021

Serena Williams has an impressive record at Wimbledon, winning 98 of her 111 matches. However, last year, she endured her maiden first-round loss at the grasscourt Major, retiring against Aliaksandra Sasnovich at 3-3 in the first set after injuring her ankle.

Ring rust is an obvious concern, as Williams hasn't taken the court for a competitive match in almost a year, and Molik hopes that the American has a 'healthy' campaign.

"I'm praying it's a healthy Wimbledon for Serena. Let's see her compete at a great level," Molik said.

The Australian, though, added that the lack of matches under her belt could make Williams susceptible to injury.

"She's played tennis her whole life; muscle memory is always going to be there. But it's the (fact of) not competing. Your body works at a different tilt in competition compared to practice; you push yourself harder, you sprint faster, and that opens your body up to a lot of tiredness, niggles, injury," Molik said.

Serena Williams' first title at the grasscourt Major came in 2002, in her fourth appearance at the tournament. She successfully defended her title the following year but was denied a three-peat by Maria Sharapova.

Williams did the two-peat at the tournament two more time, in 2009 and 2010, and 2015 and 2016. Her other triumphs at the Championships came in 2012.

The 40-year-old has lost her last two appearances in the Wimbledon final, though, going down to Angelique Kerber in 2018 and Simona Halep in 2019.