Serena Williams has already announced that she will be returning to the court after one year for Wimbledon 2022. The American tennis legend exited the Wimbledon last year in the middle of her first-round match due to an injury. Since then, she has been recovering and has not returned to court yet.
Nicole Pratt, coach of Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup team was surprised by Serena’s announcement considering the time she has been away from competitive tennis. As per her, Serena wouldn’t have any trouble playing at the highest level.
SW and SW19 ✅@serenawilliams will contest #Wimbledon for the 21st time – again targeting her 24th major singles title.
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) June 17, 2022
However, Pratt feels the 23-time grand slam winner will have a hard time recovering from any injury she sustains on the court. Furthermore, she said, “Where the issue lies is your recovery. That’s what starts to decrease over time. Recovery will be an issue, in my opinion. That is going to be tough, at that age, no question.”
As per Pratt, what could work in Serena’s favor is the time off between two matches. Every player enjoys a day off after his/her match. Serena could really use that day to recover and regain her energy. Considering that she is 40 years old, the junior Williams will have to be really careful about the way she plays.
Nicole Pratt hoping for a first-round match between Serena Williams and Iga Swiatek
When Serena announced her comeback, the current world number one Iga Swiatek was among the first ones to welcome her back. Swiatek is currently dominating against all the players and is fresh from her French Open victory. If there is one person who can threaten Swiatek’s position, it’s Serena.
Pratt is really rooting for a first-round clash between Serena and Swiatek. Moreover, she said, “As we increasingly talk about Iga, who’s absolutely dominating, would it be Serena who can knock herself off that perch? That would be an amazing storyline.”
Serena beating the current world number one and eventually winning the Wimbledon could be the ultimate underdog story. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Serena actually does it as she has done it multiple times in her long career.