Source: Nike / NIke
Serena Williams is ready to make her Wimbledon return.
On April 7, the twenty-three-time Grand Slam champion took to Instagram to share the big news. While chatting with Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers during a Q&A session, Williams hinted at her big “comeback,” a move that would also mark her long-awaited return to the court. The seven-time Wimbledon champ withdrew from the competition last year following a rough leg injury.
“We’ve been talking about my comeback, and he’s been hyping me up and getting me ready for Wimbledon. Can’t Wait,” Williams explained in the video via her Instagram stories, noting Rodgers’ excitement and support. When asked whether she would be participating in this year’s competition, the 40-year-old tennis star clarified that “Wimbledon’s before the US Open,” PEOPLE noted.
“I’ve got to play Wimbledon first,” she added, before dropping a hint about her possible return to the US Open. “Exciting!” said Williams in the since-deleted video.
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The last time the California native rocked the court at Wimbledon was in 2016 when she defeated German tennis pro-Angelique Kerber at the tournament. Fans were eager to see her scoop up another win in 2021, but the four-time Olympic Gold medalist’s performance was drastically hindered after she suffered a right leg injury during her first round against Aliaksandra Sasnovichat, ultimately leading to her withdrawal from the competition. Consequently, Williams missed out on the Tokyo Olympics and the 2021 US Open. Back in December, the tennis legend turned venture capitalist announced that she wouldn’t be competing at the 2022 Australian Open following medical advice from her team.
“While this is never an easy decision to make, I am not where I need to be physically to compete,” she said in a statement.
Well, it doesn’t look like Williams will be retiring anytime soon, but back in February 2021, the star told Entertainment Tonight that she is “prepared for that day” when the time comes.
“I’ve been prepared for that day for over a decade. If you’ve seen King Richard you know that my dad always said you got to prepare, so I’ve been prepared for that,” said Williams. “You know, at the end of the day, I think it’s really important to always have a plan and that’s kind of what I did. I always had a plan.”
In other Serena Williams-related news, the tennis champ sent the internet into a tailspin over the weekend on TikTok when she showed off a few pole dance moves. Talk about duality! Check out the video below.
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