Serena makes competitive return
Teams with sister Venus in Fed Cup
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – New mom Serena Williams made her official, if inconsequential, return to tennis Sunday.
She partnered with sister Venus in a doubles match that became an afterthought after the USA had secured the first-round Fed Cup win against the Netherlands. They lost to Lesley Kerkhove and Demi Schuurs 6-2, 6-3.
Venus already had clinched the encounter for Team USA, the Fed Cup reigning champion, by winning the necessary third point of the weekend with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Richel Hogenkamp in the first match of the day.
The Americans earned two points Saturday when Venus defeated Arantxa Rus in straight sets and CoCo Vandeweghe outlasted Hogenkamp in three.
There was hope, probably misguided, ahead of the weekend that Serena would suit up and play singles for the team. But a quick glance at her practice session Friday revealed the 23-time Grand Slam tournament champion was not quite ready for prime time after more than a year away from competition. Her only other on-court appearance was a one-match exhibition in Abu Dhabi in late December.
Williams recently acknowledged she had post-delivery complications, which included blood clots, after giving birth to her first child, daughter Alexis Olympia, in September.
Instead, Venus and Vandeweghe absorbed the responsibility for the weekend’s overall 3-1 win that places the USA into the Fed Cup semifinals against France.
Serena was honest from the get-go here about her match readiness and never attempted to hide the fact that practice and not playing a serious singles match would be more appropriate at this juncture.
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs in the practice,” Williams said at the pre-weekend news conference. “I think that’s normal for everything that I’ve gone through. But it also gives me another view. It’s almost relaxing for me because I have nothing to prove.
“Again, just fighting against all odds to be out there, to be competing again,” she added.
Doubles is hardly the best indicator of a player’s form, but there was no mistaking that Williams was hardly a facsimile of her best, and if her intention is to return to championship status — and she has said it is — there’s a lot of work ahead.
Some of her on-point contact shots indicated her power game is there, but there was too much rust in the rest of her performance. Her movement was sluggish, her fitness flawed, her timing tepid and her shot selection suspect.
Williams suggested she was happier with her performance than she anticipated.
“It felt really good to be back on the court,” Williams said. “I think if I walk out there with little expectations I need to stop doing what I do. I always want to improve on everything.”
Williams’ end goal likely will be to surpass Australian Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
When asked earlier in the week whether that achievement is center stage in her mind, Williams said, “It goes unsaid 25 is obviously something that I would love, but I’d hate to limit myself.”
If Williams does win more Grand Slam trophies, she would be the fourth woman in the Open era to capture a major as a mother. Court did it at the 1973 Australian, French and U.S. Opens.
Evonne Goolagong Cawley did it at the 1977 Australian Open and 1980 Wimbledon and remains the only mother in the Open era to win at Wimbledon.
The last mom to achieve Grand Slam greatness was Kim Clijsters, who returned to the court after her daughter, Jada, was born to win the 2009 and 2010 U.S. Open tournaments and the 2011 Australian Open.
This past week marked the first time that Serena traveled with baby in tow, and she admits, “I didn’t manage my time well,” when asked about juggling diapers and duty to team.
She did acknowledge that her preconceived thoughts on motherhood weren’t exactly how it ends up feeling once she became a mom.
“I didn’t expect to have such emotions and such feelings even though you hear about it all the time,” she said. “But I definitely have way more emotions and connection than I ever thought I would feel.”
According to Venus, the new mom already fits the bill for the Mother of the Year award, something she could add to her Grand Slam trophy case.
“I think she’s the best mother,” said Venus, smiling over to Serena at the preFed Cup news conference. “She’s unbelievable. She does everything herself.”