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London: Sam Stosur doesn’t believe Serena Williams’ personal account of this most unlikely comeback.
“I don’t need to win,” was Williams’ public battle cry for her long-awaited return to Wimbledon, nearly four years after she lost what was expected to be the final singles match of her illustrious career to Australian Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 US Open.
Australian coach Renna Stubbs is playing a key role in Serena Williams’ return to Wimbledon.Getty Images
Williams is a 23-time Grand Slam champion (seven of those titles were won as a member of the All England Club) and sits comfortably alongside tennis greats Margaret Court, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Helen Wills Moody.
Sports leviathans Michael Jordan, George Foreman, Michael Phelps and Mario Lemieux returned after years of absence with mixed results.
Like Williams, Kim Clijsters, Caroline Wozniacki, Naomi Osaka, Elina Svitolina and Belinda Bencic returned to tennis after giving birth. But they were all much younger than Williams.
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The 44-year-old mother of two, who plays up-and-coming Australian Maya Joynt on Center Court early Wednesday morning (AEST), is adamant that she Nothing to prove a point echoed by her older sister Venus when she spoke to reporters on Saturday.
Williams just wants to play in front of his daughters, Olympia, 8, and Adira, 2, and try to have more fun playing tennis than she did during her trophy-winning heyday. She even said that she only made the decision to take part in the Wimbledon singles tournament the day before it was announced.
“I wasn’t sure until now. Honestly, I’m still not even sure, but we’ll see,” Williams said.
Williams’ willingness to share her self-doubts has only added to the mystery surrounding her return and what level she can reach, especially in this first match against the Joint.
The young Australian woman, born and raised in Michigan, told this cap that the American legend known as the “Queen of the Court” was an almost mythical figure to her because she had never met her in person and only knew of her incredible achievements.
Williams (left) will play 20-year-old Australian Maya Joynt (right) in her return to Wimbledon.AP
Asked what she knew about the Joint, Williams said she had seen some vision of the 20-year-old before dryly replying, “I’m sure she knows my game.”
There is some skepticism about how easily Williams downplays expectations. Her actions are like those of a woman on a mission – perhaps even one who thinks there’s even the slightest chance she can win another major title to match Court’s record.
Novak Djokovic, considered by many to be the GOAT of men’s tennis, noted that he saw Williams in the gym more often than when she was at the peak of her powers, which he believed was a sign that she “wanted everything to work out as best as possible.”
Stosur, who famously beat Williams to win the 2011 US Open, echoed those sentiments, with Wimbledon semi-finalist Jelena Dokic saying the American would not return “just for fun”.
Sam Stosur celebrates the championship trophy with Serena Williams after the women’s singles final match at the 2011 US Open.Getty Images for USTA
“I’m sure she wouldn’t take this decision lightly, and I’m pretty sure that as a champion, she’s not just here to crunch the numbers,” Stosur said.
“I think she goes into it believing she can win matches and do well.”
Perhaps no one is better able to provide insight into Williams’ motivations for coming out of retirement than her Australian coach Renn Stubbs, who was one of the first to learn of her return.
Stubbs believes Williams really wants to enjoy the experience without being burdened with huge expectations and is looking no further than the Joint in the draw.
The Joint reached her career-high 28th in February while still a teenager, but lost 13 of her last 14 matches in an injury-interrupted season.
Williams does not represent the easy “out” that a player with this line of form would desire. In fact, it was on the grass at Wimbledon that the American was arguably the most dominant.
A synthetic analysis of Williams’ performance in her seven SW19 title runs – 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016 – gives an idea of the scale of the Joint’s task.
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Williams won 81 percent of first serve points in this sample, something no woman achieved even last year at Wimbledon, and also won 58 percent of second serve points, a daunting proposition for the Joint.
Lead strategy coach Craig O’Shannessy estimates the JDC will need about 70 per cent of their first bowlers to have any hope. For context, the Joint has only been to the area once this year.
Two-time major champion Coco Gauff, an African-American who got into tennis thanks to the Williams sisters, was a 15-year-old qualifier when she upset Venus Williams in the first round of Wimbledon seven years ago.
Gauff’s advice for the Joint? Don’t look at the scoreboard.
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“I didn’t want to see the name Venus. No matter how hard you try to block it, I think as soon as you see the name, everything starts to seem real,” Gauff said. “Also, you have to believe that you can win.”
JDC’s United Cup team-mate, top 10 star Alex de Minaur, said it was unrealistic to expect his compatriot to be able to treat Williams’ clash like any other match.
“You give (the greats) so much respect because of everything they have achieved, but sometimes you have to try and remember to give yourself the respect that you have earned that place,” de Minaur said.
“I played with Rafa a couple of times. I played with him at the beginning of my career and at the end of my career.
“When I played him a couple more times, it became clear that he was not in his prime, so you start to understand that and give yourself a little more credit and respect. Then you can go out and play a tennis match on his own terms – but it’s not easy.”
What players are saying about Serena’s return
Maya Joynt: “I never thought I’d be playing with her. I’ve never seen her in person. She doesn’t feel like the real deal, just a legend of the game… she must feel ready to play and she’s played a few doubles matches, so I expect her to play like she did four years ago.”
Novak Djokovic: “What she does is inspiring and it’s epic. That’s what I told her. I’ve always admired her career, her journey, her story. Of course, Venus too. For her to come back after years away from the tour, having two children later, and put in so much effort not only for her own satisfaction, but to give us all the pleasure of seeing her back on the court – both singles and doubles – is remarkable.”
Mirra Andreeva: “I watched her matches when I was younger, followed what she did and cheered for her when she won Grand Slams. I never thought I’d be playing in the same tournament as her… I wouldn’t want to play against Serena. I’d be very nervous.”
Arina Sabalenko: “I’m really excited to see her play. I heard her say she’s doing it so her kids can see her play. It’s amazing what she’s doing… she’s bringing more attention to tennis. It’s good for tennis.”
Coco Gauff: “I played this sport because of (the Williams sisters) and I believed I could achieve something because of them. I look up to them a lot. Even when I played with them, I still admire them. I think that’s the only time that’s happened to me in this sport.”
Mark McGowan traveled to London with the support of Tennis Australia.
Watch Wimbledon on Monday at 7.30pm (AEST) on Nine Network and Stan Sport.
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