New Mom Serena Williams Loses First Match After Returning To Court

“I don’t think I am going to rate my performance,” tennis star Serena Williams commented after losing her comeback match. She returned to court just months after giving birth.

The ace tennis player has given birth to a baby girl in September this year. After almost four months, the new mom returned to the tennis court in Abu Dhabi this weekend. Her opponent, the French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, won the game at the Mubadala exhibition event on Saturday (Dec 30).

“I have plenty of comebacks, from injuries, from surgeries, but I’ve never had a comeback after actually giving birth to a human being. So, in my eyes, I feel it was a wonderful, wonderful match for me,” Williams explained, NY Times reported.

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Williams had her struggles serving from the beginning, and Ostapenko seized on the opportunity. She won 6-2, 3-6, and then, 10-5, in a super tie breaker

But Williams never failed to impress, especially when she returned after nearly a year's break, and gave tough competition to the seventh-ranked Ostapenko.

The match lasted for 67 minutes. When asked whether she would be defending her Australian Open title, which starts on January 15, Williams claimed that it is still undecided.

“I don’t know if I am totally ready to come back on the tour yet,” she said. “I know that when I come back, I definitely want to be competing for championships. I am definitely looking forward to getting back out there.”

Also Read: Ten Leadership Skills we can learn from Serena Williams

“I am taking it one day at a time. I am going to assess everything with my team before deciding,” - Serena Williams

The 36-year-old American and 23rd Grand Slam title winner, who was formerly ranked No. 1 in the world, last played in the Australian Open in January.

Australian Open director Craig Tilley has affirmed that Williams is “very likely” to defend her title at the 2018 tournament.

Currently ranked 22nd in the world, Williams would not need a wild card.

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