Serena Williams hints at Wimbledon return after a year on the sidelines

Former world number one Serena Williams hinted yesterday that she could make her long-awaited return at Wimbledon in June, exactly a year since she last played on the tour at the same Grand Slam. Williams, 40, limped out of last year’s first-round match at Wimbledon in tears due to a leg injury.
She also skipped the Olympics in Tokyo and the US Open in 2021 due to the hamstring injury, as well as the Australian Open earlier this year. On an Instagram story with NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Serena said: “We’ve been talking about my comeback and he’s been hyping me up and getting me ready for Wimbledon. Can’t wait!”
When Rodgers asked her about a potential comeback at the US Open, she added: “Wimbledon’s before the US Open, I’ve got to play Wimbledon first. Exciting!”
Wimbledon runs from June 27-July 10. Williams has won the grasscourt major seven times, with her last success coming in 2016. Williams, who has been on the hunt for an elusive 24th major since winning her last Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open, has slipped to 246th in the women’s rankings. She reached the final in four Grand Slams since giving birth to daughter Olympia in 2017 but lost in straight sets on each occasion.

Mouratoglou to coach Halep full-time
Patrick Mouratoglou, a long-time coach of Serena Williams, will work with two-times Grand Slam champion and former world number one Simona Halep full-time, the Frenchman said.
Mouratoglou has not been coaching for nearly a year as Williams has not played on the tour since she injured her leg at Wimbledon last year and there is no clarity on the 40-year-old’s return to action.
Halep, who won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon the following year, struggled for results last year due to injuries and reached only one WTA final, at the Transylvania Open, losing in her home tournament. She is currently ranked 20th in the world.

France’s Tsonga to retire after Roland Garros
Former world number five Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will play his final tournament at next month’s French Open, he said on Wednesday, announcing his decision to bow out of the sport at his home Grand Slam. Tsonga, 36, has struggled with injuries in recent years and claimed only his second win since 2019 in February after missing almost the entire 2020 season with a back injury and posting a 1-8 record last year.
“My head tells me, ‘But you can play all your life,’ and at the same time your body reminds you that your abilities to surpass yourself are no longer there,” Tsonga said. Tsonga finished runner-up at the Australian Open in 2008 and has reached another five Grand Slam semi-finals.
He has won 18 ATP titles, including two Masters 1000 tournaments, since turning professional in 2004 and also won an Olympic silver medal in doubles at the London Games in 2012.

Berrettini to miss start of clay court season after hand surgery
Matteo Berrettini announced yesterday that he will miss out on next week’s Monte Carlo Masters and further clay events in Madrid and Rome after hand surgery. The world number six revealed last week that he had undergone a minor operation on his right hand after deciding not to play at the Miami Open.
The 25-year-old, who reached the semi-finals of this year’s Australian Open, also pulled out of his first round match at Acapulco with abdominal problems. He will be out until at least after the end of the Italian Open in his home city of Rome which finishes on May 15.