小威宣布Eastbourne復出 - 威廉絲 Williams

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Serena’s back: Williams confirms tennis return, will play Wimbledon
By Chris Chase

Serena Williams is back.

The tennis star confirmed to The New York Times' Christopher Clarey that she
will make her return to the sport at a Wimbledon tune-up event beginning next
Monday and plans to play the grass court major the following week.

Williams hasn't played since winning Wimbledon last July. Her 2011 debut will
come in Eastbourne, the final tournament before the year's third Grand Slam.

Last year, one week after defeating Vera Zvonareva for her 13th major title
last year, Williams cut her foot prior to an exhibition match with Kim
Clijsters. She had two surgeries resulting from the injury and didn't play
for the remainder of the 2010 season. Her comeback was delayed further when
she suffered a pulmonary embolism in February.

The 29-year-old has been working with a new trainer over the past month in an
attempt to prepare herself for the grass court season. Mackie Shilstone, who
has worked with boxers Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones, says Serena isn't
"there" yet but is "slowly but surely coming around."

A rusty Serena still would be considered one of the favorites to win at the
All England Club when the tournament begins June 20. She's won four Wimbledons
during her career, including last year's dominant run to the title in which
saw her play some of the best tennis of her career. Serena didn't lose a set
en route to the championship.

Because Wimbledon is the only tournament to seed players outside without full
respect to the WTA rankings, organizers will have an interesting decision to
make in regards to Serena's seeding. She's currently No. 25 in the rankings
despite not having played for almost a full year (the 2,000 points she accrued
from the Wimbledon win are enough to keep her in that spot). Chances are she'll
be moved up at least a dozen spots, if not more.

In Serena's absence, Kim Clijsters won two majors, Li Na began to open tennis
into a burgeoning Chinese market courtesy her French Open victory and young
players like Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka have increased their
presence in the game.

That's not to say the sport hasn't missed her. Serena continues to be the
biggest female star in the game, driving headlines with controversial Twitter
posts and attention-grabbing fashion choices during her injury. Her presence
at Wimbledon, however brief it could be, is a tremendous boon to the
tournament.

If Serena is healthy enough to play, she's healthy enough to be a contender,
especially at a place that favors her power like Wimbledon.




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