Who is Serena Williams' coach? Meet Eric Hechtman, the new trainer who will accompany the American legend to Wimbledon 2022

The tennis world has been abuzz ever since 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams announced her return to the tour on Tuesday.

Williams' name was missing from the entry list that Wimbledon released earlier in June, shattering the last hopes her fans had of seeing her play soon. But there is now official confirmation that Williams is guaranteed to be in the main draw of ladies singles (as a wildcard).

The American herself broke the news via an Instagram post on Tuesday.

Besides the comeback announcement, the fact that she tagged Eric Hechtman, the coach of her sister Venus Williams, also caught everyone's attention. Hechtman, who later reshared the post on his Instagram stories, is expected to accompany Serena Williams to Wimbledon.

"LFG! So pumped for this trip with the GOAT," Hechtman wrote.

Interestingly, however, his Instagram bio still reads, "Coach of Venus Williams'.

Hechtman, who has been Venus' coach since 2019, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Miami. During his time there, he was the team captain for three years and held the school record for the most all-time wins.

Before his foray into coaching, Hechtman spent time as the hitting partner for players like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Venus Williams and Serena Williams, among others. He is also the Director of the Royal Palm Tennis Club in Florida.

Earlier this year, Serena Williams ended her partnership with former coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who is now training two-time Major champion Simona Halep. A few days ago, Mouratoglou broke his silence about ending his partnership with Williams, as reported by Gazeta Sporturilor.

"I wanted to be fair to her and not be disappointed at the end of my career," Mouratoglou said. "I went to ask her what she was going to do. I asked her if she wanted to go to Roland Garros. She told me she didn't know. It was six weeks before the tour. I told her I was waiting for her on Monday for training and if she didn't come, I would consider myself free."

Williams and Mouratoglou started working together in 2012. Their collaboration resulted in 10 Grand Slam victories and an Olympic Gold medal for the American.

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"I’m still over the moon" - Ons Jabeur on teaming up with Serena Williams next week

Ons Jabeur during the 2022 French Open.

Before Wimbledon, Serena Williams is set to play doubles at the Rothesay International tournament in Eastbourne next week, partnering with Tunisia's World No. 4 Ons Jabeur.

Jabeur has expressed her jubilation about playing with Williams, and she hopes to make zero mistakes in Eastbourne.

"I’m still over the moon. I found out before the French Open, and it’s an honor and privilege to play with her. I’m actually nervous, but I’m going to try to be a doubles specialist next week and hopefully make zero mistakes. It’s a great honor to play with such a legend. Hopefully it’s going to be a great tournament for both of us," Jabeur said.

When asked about the surprising team formation, Jabeur revealed that their coaches had been in touch.

"My coach, he’s in contact with her coach, Eric Hechtman. 'Would I play doubles with Serena?' I mean, obviously the answer was yes. She was coming back. I didn’t know where. I wasn’t sure, initially, to play at Eastbourne. But now I’m 100 percent sure I will go, just for doubles," said Jabeur.