Serena Williams: Return 'step in right direction'

[February 12, 2018]  Serena Williams isn't discouraged despite losing her first competitive tennis match in more than a year on Sunday.

She teamed with sister Venus Williams in a doubles loss to Lesley Kerkhove and Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands 6-2, 6-3 in Asheville, N.C. The match concluded the United States team's 3-1 quarterfinal victory over the Netherlands, a result that was already clinched before the doubles contest.

Serena Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, stepped away from the WTA Tour after winning the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant. The 36-year-old gave birth to a daughter on Sept. 1.

"I honestly feel better than I thought I was going to feel," Serena Williams said postmatch Sunday. "I feel like I didn't expect to play, you know, like that for me. I feel like I'm on the right track."

Her comeback was slowed by issues with blood clots in her lungs, a problem that left her bedridden for six weeks following the birth of baby Alexis via emergency caesarian section.

As for getting back on the court Sunday, Serena Williams said, "I didn't know what to expect. Maybe that's why I felt like I did better. I didn't expect to ... have that much power on my serves, even though they didn't go in.

"It's just a start. I feel like that's a very good step in the right direction."

Her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and daughter were in the stands at Asheville.

Serena Williams said, "This is literally my first time traveling with the baby and everything. I'm going to try to do better. It was hard. It was the first time for me."

--Field Level Media

[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.