Article author:
Reuters
London — Serena Williams had to heal physically and mentally during a difficult year away from tennis due to an injury and questioned her return at some stage.
Williams, 40, dragged her foot from her first round match at the Grand Slam in her last year's Grass Court.
"I don't know. I didn't retire. I needed to heal physically and mentally. Yes, to be honest, I had no plans. When I didn't know if I would come back. I didn't know how to come back, "Williams told reporters.
Americans have dropped to 1,204 in the rankings, and wildcards from Wimbledon's organizer All England Lawn Tennis Club need to appear in the women's singles main draw. was.
She warmed up for the majors starting on Monday. At this week's Eastbourne event, she teamed up with Ons Jabeur in Tunisia to advance to the quarterfinals before Jabeur's injury ended the campaign.
"Wimbledon is a great place and it worked," Williams added.
"I entered this by saying I'm playing Eastbourne. I wouldn't be ready for singles, I'll play doubles and see how I felt I'm sure I could have played a single there.
"But the doubles were great ... I was more prepared than I expected a month, two or three months ago. Surprisingly. It was a fun time to go out and have fun. It was cool just to go out on the court again. "
To play against French Harmony Tan in the first round Williams, who was drawn to, said he felt injured throughout 2021 after Wimbledon.
"It was hard last year ... I tore the hamstring. Nobody wants to do that. The whole experience was rough," the American added.
"I tried to make New York from there. I did everything I could, preparing and trying to make it every day, but then I'm not going to get it done. I hung my racket a little until it just healed.
"It was actually a serious injury to have what I had last year. It wasn't fun." (By Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bangalore. Report, edited by Ken Ferris)
