World No 1 Swiatek ‘overwhelmed’ to see Serena Williams back at Wimbledon

Iga Swiatek, who goes into the Wimbledon 2022 as a favourite, on Saturday reacted to 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams’ comeback at the tournament. The All England Club event starts on June 27 and the final will be held on July 10. 

Williams, who has won the Wimbledon seven times, will be playing her first singles match since withdrawing in the first round of the grass tournament in 2021. She pulled out of the event due to the hamstring injury. The 40-year-old then missed the US Open, Tokyo Olympics and the Australian Open and French Open this year. 

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However, she is back on the court to chase an elusive 24th Slam title. Serena Williams entered the Wimbledon draw as a wild-card invitation. She played two doubles matches on grass at Eastbourne the week before the main event.  In 20 previous appearances at the All England Club, the American star has reached the final 11 times, winning seven titles and finishing as the runner-up four times. 

Talking about Williams’ return after a year, Iga Swiatek said she was overwhelmed. 

Also read: Serena Williams projected path to Wimbledon 2022 final

“I saw her yesterday, I was pretty overwhelmed. I didn’t know how to react. I wanted to meet her. I saw that she had so many people around her. I don’t know her team. It was pretty weird. But just seeing her around is great because she’s such a legend, there’s nobody that has done so much in tennis,” the reigning French Open winner said. 

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The Polish player, who is almost half Williams’ age, added that the American is a genuine threat despite her ring-rustiness.

“I’m pretty sure that she’s going to be in good shape because she has so much experience coming back from breaks or just playing in Grand Slams. I think she can use it,” she added.