|
Chasing a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles crown, sixth
seed Williams limped out of her first round match last year with
an injury and the sport suddenly had a void to fill as she took
a year off to "heal physically and mentally".
Now, three months shy of her 41st birthday, Williams is ranked
1,204 in the world and the American needed a wildcard to play at
Wimbledon where she has won the title seven times.
She has only two doubles matches at Eastbourne under her belt
going into the year's third major where she takes on France's
Harmony Tan.
However, Williams was glad Wimbledon broke with tradition and
allowed players to practise on the iconic Centre Court to avoid
a repeat of them slipping on the lush green grass.
"Obviously I was super happy to be out there and have that
opportunity. It was also good for me to get that out of my
system because the last moment I had on Centre Court was
probably not my best moment," Williams said.
"It was always something since the match ended that was always
on my mind. So it was a tremendous amount of motivation for
that.
"You never want any match to end like that, it's really
unfortunate. But it was definitely something that's always been
on the top of my mind."
While Williams chases an elusive 24th major, world number one
Iga Swiatek is busy chasing records herself and will put a
35-match winning streak -- the best in the 21st century -- on
the line on the same court when she takes on Jana Fett.
Poland's Swiatek has not lost since February but the 21-year-old
comes into Wimbledon without playing a match on grass after she
skipped the tune-up tournament in Berlin due to a shoulder
issue.
The crowd on Centre Court will get their money's worth with Rafa
Nadal's first round match sandwiched between the two women's
encounters as the Spaniard resumes his quest for a Calendar Slam
when he takes on Francisco Cerundolo.
With a record 22 majors in the bag, Nadal has put some distance
between himself and his old rivals Roger Federer and Novak
Djokovic and looks primed for another.
The 36-year-old said his foot pain, which required injections en
route to his victory at Roland Garros, is no longer bothering
him.
"When I wake up, I don't have this pain that I was having for
the last year-and-a-half, so quite happy about that," Nadal
said.
"Since the last two weeks, I didn't have not one day of these
terrible days that I can't move at all."
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
