FIRST WORD
And to me, it kind of felt like old times, though: Lucie and I were the same on the court. It didn’t even feel like 12 months went by. And it was really special that I got my win on grass with my bestie on the side with me. We had a lot of fun.”
Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who returned to Wimbledon a day shy of exactly one year after dislocating her right kneecap and rupturing the patellar tendon during a match at the All England Club. The 33-year-old American, a five-time Grand Slam doubles champion, teamed with Lucie Safarova to defeat No. 16 seeds Alla Kudryavtseva and Lyudmyla Kichenok 7-6 (8-6), 7-5 Thursday in the first round.