They equalled the mark set by England in 2012
Sports4 days ago
Serena Williams returned to tennis after a year away with a doubles win at the Eastbourne International on Tuesday and while the American great reaffirmed her love for the game she said her future on the circuit remains uncertain.
The 23-times major champion had not played competitive tennis since limping out of her first-round match at last year’s Wimbledon in tears due to a leg injury, and the 40-year-old said there were times when she doubted she would ever compete again.
“Did I ever doubt I would return? Absolutely, for sure. I would be dishonest if I said it wasn’t and now my body feels great,” Williams said on Tuesday. “It felt good but I always try to stay semi-fit because you never know when you are going to play Wimbledon.”
Williams remains the last woman to successfully defend a Wimbledon title in 2016.
Williams, who has won seven Wimbledon singles titles, took a wildcard for the grasscourt major and kicked off her preparations with a doubles win with Tunisian Ons Jabeur.
“You know what, I’m literally taking it one day at a time,” Williams said about her plans.
“I really took my time with my hamstring injury so I’m just not making a ton of decisions after this.”
Williams won the last of her 23 Grand Slam titles at the 2017 Australian Open and remains one shy of equalling Margaret Court’s record for the most major titles.
She reached the final at four majors since returning to the Tour after giving birth to daughter Olympia in 2017 but lost in straight sets on each occasion.
Speculation about retirement gathered pace when Williams, who has slipped down the rankings to number 1,204, released her long-time coach Patrick Mouratoglou in April to train Romania’s Simona Halep.
Asked if she saw herself playing into the next year, Williams said: “I don’t know, I can’t answer that.
“But I love tennis and I love playing, or else I wouldn’t be out here, right?
“But I also love what I do off the court, what I’ve built with Serena Ventures, it’s interesting.”
When she played her first Wimbledon in 1998, current world No.1 Iga Swiatek was still three years away from being born.
The 21-year-old Pole arrives at the tournament with a second French Open title secured and on a 35-match win streak.
That equalled Venus Williams’ 35 straight victories in 2000 for the longest winning run by a woman in the 21st century. It also bettered Serena’s mark of 34.
“Having that 35th win and kind of doing something more than Serena did, it’s something special,” said Swiatek.
Wimbledon will test her ability to keep the run going where last year’s fourth round was her best performance even though she was junior champion in 2018.
“Grass is always tricky. I actually like the part that I have no expectations there. It’s something kind of refreshing,” she said.
The women’s draw remains open with defending champion Ashleigh Barty having retired earlier this year.
Ons Jabeur reached the last-eight in 2021, Paula Badosa, like Swiatek, has yet to progress beyond the fourth round.
Second-ranked Anett Kontaveit and world number five Maria Sakkari have still to get past the last 32. The Wimbledon main draw kicks off on Monday.
They equalled the mark set by England in 2012
Sports4 days ago
R Ashwin had also tested positive for the virus earlier
Sports5 days ago
With no sign of the US authorities relaxing their rule requiring all visitors to be vaccinated, the 35-year-old admitted that Wimbledon will be his last Slam of 2022
Sports5 days ago
Canadian Summer McIntosh beat fellow teen Katie Grimes of the United States to collect the 400m medley title
Sports5 days ago
Their epic rivalry includes three successive Wimbledon finals from 2006 — the first two won by Federer and the last by Nadal in unforgettable fashion in 2008
Sports5 days ago
Pandya’s elevation to the captaincy came on the back of his performance in leading IPL newcomers Gujarat Titans to this year’s title
Sports5 days ago
Kohli, who has been enduring a prolonged lean patch, decorated his innings with five boundaries and two sixes in an impressive 67 off 98 balls
Sports5 days ago
The tourists were on 168-5 and led England by 137 runs when rain brought a premature halt to the day’s play
Sports5 days ago