There have been a number of whispers the previous 12 months that Serena Williams might have performed her final skilled tennis match after the tennis icon stored mum about her return, however the American says she was simply attempting to get better from a troublesome ordeal at Wimbledon final 12 months.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner is about to play her first singles match in almost a full calendar 12 months subsequent week as she’s going to make her long-awaited comeback at Wimbledon with Concord Tan her first-round opponent on Tuesday.
Requested about whether or not or not she thought-about retirement, the previous world No 1 advised reporters: “I don’t know. I didn’t retire. I wanted to heal bodily, mentally. Yeah, I had no plans, to be sincere. I simply didn’t know after I would come again. I didn’t know the way I might come again.”
Williams picked up a severe leg damage when she slipped throughout her opening match on the All England Tennis Membership in June final 12 months, forcing her to retire from the encounter.
She had excessive hopes of competing on the 2021 US Open, but it surely was a “tough expertise” when it comes to recovering from the damage.
The American continued: “Final 12 months was powerful … I ripped my hamstring. I don’t assume anybody ever desires to do this. The entire expertise was tough.
“From there I attempted to make New York. I gave the whole lot I might, simply each day preparing or attempting to make it. However then it’s like, I’m not going to make it. Hung up my rackets for a bit bit till I might simply heal.
“It’s a troublesome damage really to have what I had final 12 months. It was no enjoyable.”
Having dropped to exterior the world 1,000, Williams’ identify was lacking from the preliminary Wimbledon entry record and plenty of assumed she wouldn’t be at SW19.
Nonetheless, she accepted a wildcard after which used the Eastbourne Worldwide doubles alongside Ons Jabeur to organize for the grass-court Grand Slam.
“Wimbledon is such an amazing place to be, and it simply labored out,” the 40-year-old mentioned.
“I went into this saying I might play Eastbourne. I might by no means be prepared for singles, I’ll play doubles and see how I felt. Positively in all probability might have performed singles there.
“However the doubles was nice … I felt extra ready than I believed I might a month or two months or three months in the past. So it was shocking, but additionally it’s a enjoyable time to be on the market and to get pleasure from it. Simply to be out on the court docket once more was cool.”