08 March,2018 11:58 AM IST | Indian Wells | AFP
Serena Williams
Serena Williams is through taking baby steps on the comeback trail after the birth of her daughter Alexis Olympia in September. The 23-time Grand Slam singles winner is ramping up her return this week by playing in Indian Wells, her first WTA Tour event since she won the 2017 Australian Open. After a couple of exhibitions and a Davis Cup doubles match, Williams is eager to hit with the big guns as she opens her campaign on Thursday night against Zarina Diyas.
"I'm ready to just jump in and get started and see what happens," the 36-year-old American told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. "Obviously I'm going to have a few hiccups, I would imagine, and I'm ready for that." Earlier this week she played one tiebreaker in an exhibition tournament in New York. In February she played a doubles rubber for the US Fed Cup team, and took part in another exhibition in Abu Dhabi in late December. Indian Wells features a star-studded women's field in a tournament that looks wide open.
Many of the players on Wednesday said they welcomed Serena's return. "We are all going to look to see how she is playing," said reigning Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza. "She is one of the best players so it is good that she is back, especially after being a mom. It is great." French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko said Serena's contribution to women's tennis cannot be overstated. "She is an amazing athlete," said sixth seeded Latvian Ostapenko. "She is a very special and what she has done for women's tennis is huge."
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