“I’m a little concerned for her” Todd Woodbridge believes Serena Williams is playing Wimbledon to say ‘goodbye’
Follow Us
Serena Williams and Todd Woodbridge
Former World No. 1 Serena Williams returns to action at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships where she will make her season debut in the hopes of winning the Grand Slam for the 8th time in her career and matching Margaret Court‘s tally of 24 majors won, the most by any player in the history of the sport.
Serena had not played since her first-round injury at the 2021 Wimbledon and it will be almost a year since she last played in a singles match. The American did however play the Doubles event in 2022 Eastbourne International and reached the semis before her partner Ons Jabeur had to withdraw as a precautionary measure having faced some difficulty in her knee.
“It’s going to be hard for her”: Todd Woodbridge and Serena Williams
Ever since Serena’s return, tennis fans are in discussions about whether the American can win the Grand Slam once again and many former players have also expressed their opinions on Serena’s return. Doubles legend Todd Woodbridge, who won 22 majors across disciplines in the Doubles, also gave his two cents about the comeback of Williams.
“What is so surprising is that she didn’t enter – she was not going to turn up. She must have not thought she was ready, but then she got the bug and thought, ‘you know what, I’m coming’. We saw her play a couple of doubles matches with Ons Jabeur, which gave us an insight into what sort of form she brings. I’m a little concerned for her, having not played for a year. How is she moving? She has had the opportunity to go out onto Centre Court and test – which is something new.
“The club broke the tradition, allowing players to go and break that court in so it’s not as greasy on the first day. They were worried about injuries, which is what happened to Serena last year. When we look at Serena, she’s been such an offensive and aggressive player, but it’s her defensive capabilities and her movement that has really been outstanding. If she can bring those into the singles, she could be dangerous, but I think it could be hard for her having been away from the game. I don’t think she has played a lot.
“When we talk about distractions, it’s really important to note that there has been the Academy Awards, there’s been movies, and multi-million dollar businesses that she runs alongside her husband. She is also a mum, and they are all distractions. We know this in any sport, but especially in tennis, you have to be so focused and insular, that you have to shut everything else out. I think that is going to be hard for her to hone her concentration and be ready to play at her best here. The question a lot of us have asked is, ‘is this Serena coming to say goodbye?'” said Woodbridge as per Eurosport.
Follow our page FirstSportz Tennis for the latest updates
Stay Updated!
Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)