Doubles specialist Erin Routliffe weighed in on Serena Williams’ form and what it felt like to compete against the legendary American on her return to the sport.
Williams stepped away from tennis after the 2022 US Open, but returned to the sport this month following a nearly four-year break. She made her comeback at the HSBC Championships, where she teamed up with Victoria Mboko and took on Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in the opening round of the women’s doubles event.
Williams and Mboko claimed a 7-6(2), 6-2 win. Williams faced Routliffe again a few days later at the Berlin Open. Williams and Karolina Muchova lost to Routliffe and Giuliana Olmos in straight sets.
Routliffe spoke to Match Point Canada about Williams’ comeback. The former doubles No. 1 praised the American’s skill set but suggested she was not at her best.
“I think doubles and being on grass, serve and return are massive and she’s always going to be able to serve amazing and she’s always be able to return amazing. And her being such a competitor, I don’t think that’s ever going to go away. I didn’t think she’d step on the court without being prepared. Obviously she’s not at her peak. She’s not like what she used to be, but she’s still an incredible player and the way that she strikes the ball is, next level even now,” said Routliffe.
“I don’t think I was surprised at all really, but she was poaching a lot more than I thought. She’s won like 14 Grand Slams in doubles, something like that. You could definitely tell her court sense and everything was still there completely. As the greatest of all time, I think you have to be such a competitor, you have to be a bit of a freak about it. I just didn’t think she’d step on court without the preparation. She’d probably say she’s not at her best, which is clear, but, very, very high level.”
Serena Williams opened up about her comeback to tennis
Shortly after announcing her return to tennis, Serena Williams opened up about what inspired her decision, and addressed speculation about her comeback that had emerged in December.
When asked about why she made a comeback, she replied:
“Why not? In December I definitely was not planning a comeback. And then I was just talking to a few people and just chatting about different possibilities and just having fun. Something a little bit different. And so I just kept talking and talking, and then I was like, well, why not?”
“I am putting no pressure on myself,” Williams added. “I had enough pressure. For me, right now, it’s so many elements… It’s about my kids getting to see me play. Olympia is a little bit older, Adira is very young. But it’s also just moments like that.”
Williams will make her return to the singles court at Wimbledon, where she will face Australian Maya Joint in the first round.
She is also set to compete alongside Venus Williams in the women’s doubles event.
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