After not playing for almost a year, Serena Williams of the USA won her first match at Wimbledon over France’s Aravane Rezai in a hard fought 3-setter, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, closing it out with her 13th ace.
Serena had been off the court for almost a year, first because of a cut tendon in her foot after stepping on broken glass in a restaurant, then by a blood clot in her lungs.
Serena fought through a midmatch slump, then reasserted command over her French opponent in the third set with a big serve and powerful groundstrokes. She showed why she is still considered a title favorite despite her long absence and her No. 7 seeding.
After the match, the four-time champion sat down in her chair and sobbed in her towel, showing the world what an emotional win this was for her. Later Serena said: “I usually don’t cry… but it has been so hard. I never dreamt I’d be here right now. I just wanted to win at least one match here, seeing as I’m not playing doubles. It’s been a disaster year but I just kept praying. I love tennis and wanted to be able to play Wimbledon… Aravane’s a really good player. She has won huge tournaments before and has beaten Venus. I knew it wouldn’t be easy.”
In her next round, Serena will play 19-year-old Simona Halep of Romania. The two have never played before.
