Serena puts up brave face

– Former world No 1 Serena Williams said she felt on the “right track” despite a crushing loss in her long-awaited comeback to tennis on Sunday playing alongside big sister Venus in a Fed Cup dead rubber.

The duo, who have combined to win 22 doubles titles, were outgunned by the unheralded Dutch pairing of Lesley Kerkhove and Demi Schuurs who were playing in their first outing together.

The sisters lost 6-2, 6-3 with 36-year-old Serena appearing particularly slow on her feet and poor in her shot selection after more than a year away from the sport.

But she was determined to put on a brave face after the loss took some of the shine off the Americans’ otherwise decisive 3-1 win that booked their place in the next round against France in April.

“It felt really good to be back. I’ve been training and it was just exciting to be out there,” she said.

“I honestly feel better than I thought I was gonna feel.”

It was Serena’s first competitive match since winning her 23rd Slam at the 2017 Australian Open.

The American took time away from the sport to give birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia and get married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

Ahead of the tie, Serena refused to be drawn on her Grand Slam hopes for the year. – AFP