Serena Williams plays a shot during her first-round match at the Wimbledon Championships.
Serena William's comeback was what everybody for waiting for. The 23 Gland Slam title winner who returned to the court after 364 days out of singles competition looked a little rusty and also looked like someone who had been out of the game for a long time. The 40-year-old tennis star surprisingly missed shots, gasped, shook her head, and rolled her eyes.
Williams went down by 7-5, 1-6, 7/6 (10/7) to unseeded Harmony Tan who is competing in her first Wimbledon. When the seven-time champion Williams entered the court, she was welcomed with cheers and applause but looked far from her best as she was lacking both form and fitness. Serena had to take a long break from the game as she picked up an injury on June 29, 2021, which kept her away from both training and the game.
Williams is looking to return in a very strong fashion and said "It's better than last year and is a fresh start". When asked if she had played the last match of her career, the seven-time champion said that she does not have a concrete answer to this question and that only time will tell where she pops up in the end.
On the other hand, an elated Harmony Tan who is playing her first Wimbledon said "for my first Wimbledon, it’s wow just wow. When I saw the draw, I was really scared. She's a legend. I was like, oh, my God, how can I play?
Williams who has been number one for almost 3 weeks said "If you’re playing week in, week out, or even every three weeks, every four weeks, there’s a little bit more match toughness. But with that being said, I felt like I played pretty okay on some of ‘em, not all of ’em. Maybe some key ones I definitely could have played better. You've got to think if I were playing matches, I wouldn’t miss some of those points.
It is still an open contest and Serena would want to get better as she progresses in the tournament.
(Inputs from PTI)
