Don’t call it a comeback!
Almost a year after she left Wimbledon with a leg injury, tennis icon Serena Williams returned to the court on Tuesday at the Eastbourne International and was victorious in her doubles match, according to Yahoo Sports.
Along with doubles partner Ons Jabeur, the duo defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo and Marie Bouzkova 2-6, 6-3, 13-11 in a match that totaled one hour and 33 minutes.
After the victory, Williams admitted that she feared she might never return to competition during her year-long layoff.
“Absolutely, for sure,” she said in the interview with the BBC when asked if she feared that her career had come to an end. “I would be dishonest if I said it wasn’t, but now my body feels great.
“It’s doubles, I’m only playing half of the court, but I’ve been doing a lot of training and so it definitely feels good. You know what, I’m literally taking it one day at a time,” she added. “I really took my time with my hamstring injury, so I’m just not making a ton of decisions after this.”
“It was great out there and so fun to play with Ons; we had a lot of fun. Our opponents played amazing and we were happy to stay in there,” she continued.
Wimbledon organizers announced last week that Williams had been given a wildcard to compete in the singles draw at the All England Club, creating a buzz surrounding the 23-time grand slam winner's return to action.
Williams remains in pursuit of Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam singles titles. Her last grand slam victory came in 2017 at the Australian Open.
“I should have had it (the record), really. I’ve had many opportunities to have it,” she said. “But I’m not giving up.”
