"Let's go Mama"- Alexis Ohanian cheers Serena Williams on during her comeback match in Eastbourne
Serena WIlliams' husband Alexis Ohanian sent a message of support to her wife before the start of her comeback match in Eastbourne.
The former World No. 1 received a wildcard for the Rothesay International and is competing in the Women's Doubles with Ons Jabeur as her teammate.
Before the start of the pair's first-round match against Sara Sorribes Tormo and Marie Bouzkova, Ohanian posted a picture of the match on Instagram.
"Serena Williams back in the office for doubles! Let's go, mama," Ohanian captioned the post. "Also how about the bird photobomb??"
The Rothesay International in Eastbourne is Williams' first tournament back since Wimbledon last year. The American was forced to retire during her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich after slipping on the grass and injuring her hamstring.
Her doubles partner Ons Jabeur told Arab News that she was glad the former World No. 1 joined forces with herself in her first tournament back.
"I don’t know honestly why she picked me but I’m glad that she did. Maybe Venus had something to do with it, maybe she was watching a bit of tennis and she saw some North African girl playing good lately so maybe that kind of helped. I hope she was watching the Madrid final as well," Jabeur said.
Jabeur also said that the prospect of partnering Williams makes her a little nervous since she is a huge fan of the American.
"Honestly I’m nervous but I’m going to try to focus on playing tennis and maybe not admiring Serena a lot because I’m such a big fan and it’s honestly a huge honor for me to share the court with her and to kind of be part of her comeback journey," Jabeur said.
Serena Williams receives wildcard, will compete in Wimbledon this year
Serena Williams will make her singles comeback at Wimbledon, for which she received a wildcard. It will be her 21st appearance at the grasscourt major, where she is a seven-time singles champion.
The stage awaits.
Our 7-time champion @serenawilliams will return to Wimbledon as a wild card this summer for her 21st appearance https://t.co/7ddMAv7mOq
The 40-year-old's last Wimbledon triumph came in 2016, when she beat Angelique Kerber in the final. She has since reached two more finals in 2018 and 2019 but ended up losing to Kerber and Simona Halep respectively.
The lack of tennis for almost a year will no doubt affect Serena Williams' form heading into the event. However, if she has a favorable draw and plays well, combined with her experience and mentality, she could have a deep run at Wimbledon this year.