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Serena Williams injury timeline: How tennis great made return to Wimbledon after year-long recovery

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Serena Williams injury timeline: How tennis great made return to Wimbledon after year-long recovery

Serena Williams went down with a leg injury after she slipped on the slick grass court during his first-round matchup at Wimbledon in 2021. Williams retired from the match, which allowed Aliaksandra Sasnovich to advance. It also left many wondering whether Williams would be able to play in another major ever again. A year later, Williams, 40, has healed and is set to make her return to the All England Club. The seven-time champion will take on Harmony Tan in the first round as she looks to go on another deep, championship run. How was Williams able to make this remarkable recovery at age 40 to vie for her 24th Grand Slam? Here's a rundown of her path back to Wimbledon. MORE: Full draw, seedings for Wimbledon 2022 June 29, 2021: Williams slips on a slick court at Wimbledon while facing Aliaksandra Sasnovich in Round 1 of Wimbledon 2021. She is forced to retire from the match as a result of the injury. Serena Williams receives a standing ovation from the crowd at #WimbledonWilliams was forced to retire in the first round of after sustaining an apparent injury. pic.twitter.com/exFZxJJZGh— ESPN (@espn) July 2, 2021: Williams' coach Patrick Mouratoglou gives an update on Williams' condition. He acknowledges that she might not play in the US Open but shares a "good sign" from her recovery. "The manual test gave us an idea of the nature of the injury, not how serious it is," Mouratoglou said. "We're waiting to see how long she's supposed to be resting and, obviously, the consequences in terms of preparation for the next one [the US Open]. Time will fly. She's walking, which is a good sign, and it excludes very bad possibilities." August 25, 2021: Williams officially announces that she will not be playing in the US Open, citing the torn hamstring she suffered at Wimbledon as the reason for her absence. August 27, 2021: Mouratoglou explains how Williams progressed in her post-Wimbledon recovery. She was able to go from walking to hitting balls on a tennis court without moving, but once she started to move laterally, they realized the hamstring tear was still lingering. "We did exams [MRI] and we realized that there was still a tear on the tendon that was not completely back to normal," Mouratoglou told CBS Sports. "Even though we tried, with one week until the US Open, we realized finally that there was a big risk with playing. The risk of a much worse injury which was really there because if you play with a tear in the tendon and you go too far, the tendon can completely break and it's something you don't want to risk." Nov. 26, 2021: In an appearance on "The Jimmy Kimmel Show," Williams provides an update on her hamstring injury. “The hamstring is better. It took a long time, it took forever, but it’s much better now,” she says. She stops short of saying she would be ready for the Australian Open, however. Dec. 8, 2021: Williams announces that she will not be making a run at an eighth Australian Open victory. Once again, she cites her physical preparedness as the reason for her opt-out. "I am not where I need to be physically to compete," she says. MORE: Why there aren't rankings points at this year's Wimbledon Feb. 8, 2022: Williams notes that she is "feeling good" in an interview with USA TODAY ahead of Super Bowl 56. "I’m back to training, which is exciting," Williams says. "So I’m just trying to make sure I’m getting a little more fit training-wise, just getting my body and my muscles used to the tennis training, because that’s totally different from just regular training. And then see what happens, no pressure." April 7, 2022: While at a Bitcoin conference in Miami, Williams makes a video with Aaron Rodgers where she hints at a potential return to Wimbledon. "I thought you knew," Williams said to Rodgers, when he was surprised to hear her mention Wimbledon. We can't wait to see you back on the court! 🙌(via @serenawilliams) pic.twitter.com/NbADyj11aq— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 14, 2022: Williams announces that she will return to Wimbledon in an Instagram post. "SW19" is a reference to the area code in London where Wimbledon is located. A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) Williams didn't apply for a protected ranking before Wimbledon, so she wasn't on the initial entry list for the event given her current world ranking of 1,204. That's what led many to doubt that she was going to participate in the event. However, Williams wanted to play and as a result, she was granted a wild card entry into the field. It's no surprise that Wimbledon gave Williams a wild card spot. She is arguably the greatest tennis player of all time and a lot of her major success has come at Wimbledon. MORE: Serena Williams' Wimbledon schedule for 2022 Williams has won Wimbledon seven times during her storied career. It is tied with the Australian Open for her most wins at a single major. Williams last won at the All England Club in 2016, when she successfully defended her 2015 title. Below is a look at her results in each of her Wimbledon appearances since 1998. And below is a recap of Williams' Grand Slam titles by event:
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