On Monday, Serena Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou confirmed that the American will play in the French Open.
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The tournament starts on May 27th and will be the her first major since returning to action from maternity leave.
The 36-year old returned after a 14-month absence to give birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia. She attempted a comeback earlier but withdrew from last week’s Madrid Open and this week’s Italian Open.
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Serena Williams
Mouratoglou said, “We realized that she was not ready yet. The time she lost after the delivery with all the medical issues she had to go through, was missing.”
He added, “That is the reason why we decided to skip Madrid and Rome as she needed five weeks to be perfectly ready.
“I am very satisfied and confident that she will be ready for Roland Garros.”
The three-time French Open champion last played in March, where she lost a first-round match against Naomi Osaka at the Miami Open.
The Frenchman said, “After her pregnancy, Serena had to rebuild her body. When she arrived at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, around April 30, we realised that she was not ready yet. The time she lost after the delivery with all the medical issues she had to go through, was missing,”.
Mouratoglou admitted that Williams returned to the WTA Tour too soon. This was clear when she lost early in Indian Wells and Miami in March –
“Serena clearly came back too early,” he said. “She was not ready yet but needed to feel the competition, so she decided to play even though she was far from being at 100 per cent. It was a good experience as she realised all the work that needed to be done in order for her to be really ready.”
How will things pan out for the former World Number 1 at the French Open?
