Serena Williams, who has been an unstoppable force for the best part of two decades, will make her most recent attempt to tie the record of 24 Grand Slams at Wimbledon next week after returning to competition following a one-year hiatus.
Williams and Ons Jabeur of Tunisia participated in a doubles match at the Eastbourne International this week, but the former world number one has not played in a competitive singles match since he was forced to withdraw from the grasscourt major’s first round last year due to injury.
Even the top sports analysts are baffled by what fans might anticipate from her return at Wimbledon, where she has won seven singles titles.
She might lose in the opening round or take home the title, according to ESPN expert and seven-time major champion John McEnroe.
Following her sorrowful departure from the All England Club a year ago, the 40-year-old slipped to 1,208th in the rankings. She required a wildcard entrance to the tournament since she needed time to recuperate from a hamstring injury.
Williams earlier this week told reporters that she was taking her recovery “one day at a time” and acknowledged that she occasionally had second thoughts about competing.
She said, “If I didn’t love tennis and like playing, I wouldn’t be here.”
Then, Williams and Jabeur overcame a set deficit to win their Eastbourne women’s doubles opener, then won in straight sets on Wednesday in the quarterfinals before the Tunisian sustained an injury and they were forced to quit.
Since the American last won a significant trophy at the Australian Open in 2017, Williams has been chasing an elusive 24th Grand Slam singles championship, which would tie her with record-holder Margaret Court.
Since giving birth to her daughter Olympia in 2017, she has participated in four Grand Slam finals, putting her tantalisingly close to accomplishing that feat.
Even for tennis’s hardest competitor, returning to competition after a year away is a Herculean undertaking.
Chris Evert, an ESPN analyst and 18-time Grand Slam champion, said that after a prolonged absence from the game, “it takes a bit for your tennis instincts and your tennis IQ to come back.”
It’s hard to gauge how she will fare in singles based just on how she performs in doubles.
Iga Swiatek of Poland, the current world number one, is the heavy favourite and is coming off a 35-match winning streak that included her second French Open victory earlier this month. Williams is favoured to win the Venus Rosewater Dish.
“The power is there, and the serve appears to be strong. She entering the tournament excites me because I think it’s fantastic for everyone.” Like Evert stated However, it is a question mark, you know.
Monday marks the start of Wimbledon’s main tournament.