Ever since 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams announced last week that she is making a comeback to competitive tennis, it has been the biggest news in the tennis world. Williams had confirmed her participation at Wimbledon as a wildcard and that she would play doubles at the Rothesay International in Eastbourne a week earlier.
Williams, whose name was missing from the entry list released by Wimbledon earlier this month, played her last match at the British Major in 2021. At 3-3 in the first set, she withdrew after pulling her hamstring. After 357 days, the American returned to the court on Tuesday in Eastbourne and teamed up with World No. 3 Ons Jabeur to defeat Sara Sorribes Tormo and Marie Bouzkova 2-6, 6-3, 13-11.
Seeing her back, the fans could not hold back their emotions and showered their love on the iconic player. However, fans were not alone in welcoming Williams back. They were joined by players like Karolina Pliskova and Paula Badosa. Venus Williams, Serena's sister, shared a photo of the 23-time Major champion on social media and expressed joy at her return.
"The boss is back in town @serenawilliams," Venus Williams wrote.
Williams and Jabeur are all set to take on Shuko Aoyama and Chan Hao-ching in the quarterfinals. The unseeded Japanese-Taiwanese pair defeated Sania Mirza and Lucie Hradecka in their opening match and could pose a major threat to the American legend and her partner in advancing to the semifinals.
Serena and Venus Williams have lifted the women's singles Wimbledon trophy seven and five times, respectively. The sisters also have a 14-0 win-loss record in Grand Slam doubles title matches.
Serena Williams sets sights on 24th Grand Slam
The only player ahead of Serena Williams in the Grand Slam title race is Australia's Margaret Court with 24 Majors. Williams, who has 23, last won a Grand Slam event in 2017 in Australia. She has lost four finals since, making this the longest period of her career without a Major title.
As the American gears up for her return to the highest level at Wimbledon next week, she will definitely try and go all the way to lifting a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam. As a result of her absence from the tour for a year, Williams has slipped significantly in the WTA rankings. Today, she stands at No. 1,204 in the world.
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