“She’s always a contender” Coco Gauff delighted to have Serena Williams back in action at the 2022 Wimbledon

World No. 12 and the 11th seed at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, Coco Gauff will be one of the top contenders for the Grand Slam this season as she has had a good record at the tournament earlier having reached the 4th round as a 15-year-old in 2019 and then making a similar run in the 2021 edition as well. She reaches the major after a semi-final defeat in the WTA-500 event in Berlin losing to eventual champion Ons Jabeur.

Prior to the grass season, Gauff made it to the finals of the 2022 French Open in both the singles and the doubles but was unfortunate to lose on both occasions. As she comes looking for her maiden Grand Slam title once again, the American talked about the return of her childhood idol Serena Williams who enters the 2022 Wimbledon through a wildcard after a year-long absence from the sport due to the injury she suffered in last year’s Championships.

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Coco Gauff admits she thought Serena Williams won’t play again after her injury

Last year, Serena had to retire at 3-3 in the first set of her first-round match after having a nasty fall that saw her tearfully make the exit. Despite attempts to return to action at the 2021 US Open and the 2022 Australian Open, the American was not seen participating on the advice of her medical team. After a year of sitting out, she finally confirmed to play in this year’s Wimbledon and has sent a wave of excitement among tennis circles including Gauff.

“I’m glad that she’s back, obviously, she’s someone that I look up to and it’s quite incredible really that she’s still playing at the highest level. I remember watching that match a year ago where she had to finish short and I thought maybe that would have been the last time we saw her play at Wimbledon just from like outside perspective.

“You know as players we all know she’s at the end of her career and you don’t know how many more times you’re going to see her but I think whenever she’s in a tournament, I think she’s always a contender to win even if she hadn’t played for a year and, yeah, I’m excited to see her play,” said Gauff in her pre-tournament press conference ahead of her first-round match against Elena Gabriela Ruse.

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