1 hour ago
3
Serena Williams returned to singles competition on Tuesday with her first-round match at Wimbledon, with her family there cheering her on.
In the stands supporting her were her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and their two daughters, 8-year-old Olympia and 2-year-old Adira.
Williams was pregnant with Olympia when she won her most recent Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open. It was her record 23rd Slam title. Williams and Ohanian got married later that year.
Also in Williams’s players box Tuesday was her sister Venus and her husband Andrea Preti. The sisters will be playing together in Wimbledon’s ladies doubles tournament beginning on Thursday. The pair has won the doubles title at Wimbledon six times.
Williams was eliminated from the singles competition with a 3-6, 7-6(8), 3-6 loss to Australia’s Maya Joint.
Williams first came back to competition earlier this month at Queen’s Club, where she partnered Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko in the doubles competition. In Williams’s first pro match since 2022, the pair defeated Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2.
A few days later, it was revealed that the Williams sisters would play doubles at Wimbledon together for the first time in a decade. The sisters won 14 total Grand Slam titles together, bringing Williams’ total to 39, including with her two mixed doubles titles.
Williams, 44, had a simple answer earlier this month when asked why she was coming back.
“Well, why not? For lack of a better explanation,” she quipped.
Williams will continue her run at Wimbledon in the doubles competition this week.
English (US)