Serena ready to return
Serena ready to return
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Monday, 17, Jul 2006 09:21
Former Wimbledon champion Serena Williams has admitted she is delighted to be back as she prepares to make her return to competitive tennis at this week's Cincinnati Open.
Williams has been plagued by a knee injury since the Australian Open in January and has not played since.
However, she is now fit and ready to go once more, and she admits she is excited to be back playing again.
"I'm excited, I'm really excited just to be playing, period," Williams said.
"I honestly just needed a mental break as I was going through a lot of stuff in my life, besides surgery and including surgery, but now I hope to go out there and blow the joint up."
Williams has played just four times in the last nine months after failing to shake off persistent problems with her knee and ankle, and has slipped to 140th in the world.
She admitted she was hurt by some of the criticisms levelled at her during her absence, which attacked her attitude to the game, and she just wants to prove those doubters wrong and move up the rankings list once again.
"There are a lot of things I could be doing but never did, because I was so focused on tennis," Williams added.
"I definitely think I can move up in the world as if I didn't I wouldn't be trying to play."
The former world number one makes her return against Russian Anastasia Myskina, seeded second at the tournament, tomorrow night.