Photo via: CNN
Serena Williams just made a winning return to Wimbledon!
On Monday, Williams defeated Arantxa Rus 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the second round at Wimbledon. The last time Williams played at the tournament was in 2016 when she won her 22nd Grand Slam singles title and tied with Stefanie Graf’s Open Era Grand Slam record. She later broke that record at the 2017 Australian Open, where she was 8 weeks pregnant with her daughter Alexis Olympia Jr.
Williams’ Wimbledon return marks the second Grand Slam that she has competed in since giving birth in 2017. It also comes about month after she had to withdraw from the fourth round of the French Open due to a pectoral injury. She said during a pre-tournament conference on Sunday:
“I thought, you know, ‘Hey, I have this amazing child, I have all these grand slams, this is all super bonus,’ and it is. I definitely feel a lot less pressure out there, but I am a little bit shocked at how much I almost want that pressure. You know, I almost want to feel the need to go out there and be the best that I can be.”
Williams counted down to Wimbledon with amazing throwbacks photos, sharing each along with an inspiring message. See below.
Congratulations, Serena! Thank you for always using your platform to motivate and encourage others.