The German women’s national coach Barbara Rittner is enthusiastic about the upcoming comeback of tennis superstar Serena Williams.
“I think it’s great, I get a little goosebumps,” said the 49-year-old of the German Press Agency at the lawn tournament in Berlin. “I find that incredibly surprising. I’m glad she will have thought about it carefully. That’s great for women’s tennis.”
The 23-time Grand Slam tournament winner Williams had announced that she would return to the tennis tour at the grass classic in Wimbledon (June 27 to July 10) after a year’s break. The 40-year-old American will receive a wild card, as the organizers announced on Tuesday. Next week, the longtime number one in the world will compete in doubles at the WTA tournament in Eastbourne to warm up for Wimbledon.
“Personally, I didn’t expect her love for the game to be so great and I would have thought she would come back at the US Open,” said Rittner, who is the tournament director in Berlin. With another Grand Slam title, Serena Williams would equal Australia’s Margaret Court’s record. Williams has won seven times at Wimbledon.