'Tennis needs her' - Serena Williams will be 'super dangerous' for any opponent, says Alex Corretja
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Updated 22/06/2022 at 07:50 GMT
“It's so good that she will finish her career, play in tournaments, Grand Slams, and whenever she decides she's ready to go out," said Eurosport analyst Alex Corretja when asked about Serena Wiliams' exciting return to the sport. The 40-year-old hasn’t played since suffering a leg injury in the first round of Wimbledon in 2021, but Corretja believes Williams will be competitive.
'Tennis needs her' - Serena will be 'super dangerous' for any opponent, says Corretja
Serena Williams will be “super dangerous” for any opponent she comes up against at Wimbledon, even after a year away from tennis, believes Eurosport analyst Alex Corretja.
Williams is competing for an eighth Wimbledon singles title after making the shock announcement last week that she would be returning at the third major of the season.
The 40-year-old hasn’t played since suffering a leg injury in the first round of Wimbledon in 2021, but Corretja believes Williams will be competitive and admits her participation is a huge boost to the sport.
“Of course I was waiting for her to come back. I think tennis needs her,” Corretja told Eurosport.
“It's so good that she will finish her career, play in tournaments, Grand Slams, and whenever she decides she's ready to go out.
And I'm very pleased to see that she's going to be at Wimbledon. She's going to be very dangerous for the opponent.
“You never know with such a legend. We've seen already many times that she's been out for so many times. And then she's coming back very strong.
“I think grass suits her game very well. So she's going to be super dangerous for whoever she faces in whatever round.”
Just how far Williams can go in the tournament is anyone's guess, Corretja admitted, but he believes that the fact she can play without pressure will work in her favour.
“It's very difficult to predict whether she's going to be ready or not. We have to wait a little bit, a few matches,” he said.
“Also, it depends on the draw. And of course, in my opinion, for the first time in so many years, she shouldn't feel the pressure at all. She can just go out there and say, okay, whatever happens is going to be good, it's going to be a gift.
“I know she's a champion and I'm sure that she wants to win if she goes into a tournament. Otherwise I don't think she enters the tournament just going there to see what will happen.
“But my feeling from outside, it would be like, okay, go day by day, match by match and then wait and see how you feel. How is your footwork, how is just your mindset, how do you focus on the important moments?
“But definitely with her, you never know. You could not be surprised if she goes and plays such a great tournament, especially because I don't think there are that many grass court specialists and I think she can really be a very dangerous opponent for whoever she faces."
Williams is back at Wimbledon without coach Patrick Mouratoglou after the pair parted ways back in April.
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Mouratogolou, who is instead training Simona Halep on a full-time basis, explained he split from Serena when it was clear she would not be competing at the French Open.
While Corretja admits it’s going to be “weird” to see Williams without Mouratoglou, he feels the coach's absence may prompt a change in style from the tennis great which just adds to the excitement.
“It's going to be weird to see her without Patrick Mouratoglou, of course, because they've been together for such a long time. But at the same time, it can also bring some different spirit to her game,” Corretja said.
“When you are with someone for such a long time, maybe you are in the same habits. But now I think it would be nice, it would be interesting to see if she changed something or not.
“Usually you shouldn't change your pattern, but also it's nice to see if you can add little details to maybe surprise your opponent a little bit.”
In an exciting development, Williams is partnering up with world No.3 Ons Jabeur at the Eastbourne International and beat unseeded duo Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo in the first round on Tuesday.
Corretja is looking forward to seeing Williams in doubles action and insists it will be good preparation for Wimbledon.
“That shows that she wants to learn different things, that she's still ready to be motivated,” Corretja continued.
“And of course, it's nice to see that she's going to play doubles.
“That means that she wants to get a little bit in shape, a little bit in rhythm, a little bit in the mood of playing tournaments.
“Even if it's doubles, it makes you go on court and be focused. You step into the grass, then you practice and you play a few matches. So you just get the rhythm back.”
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Watch daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm on Eurosport 2 and discovery+ from June 27, as well as the two singles finals live on July 9 and 10.
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