Serena Williams inspires in Wimbledon return

I’ve been mulling the Serena Williams comeback since her Wimbledon wild card was announced. There’s a LOT going on there.

First, Serena is 44 years old. Ordinarily I’d be questioning the wisdom of bestowing a wild card on an athlete who is that far past her prime. I’d point out that it’s an obvious ploy to drum up first round interest. I might opine that doing so is not in the spirit of wild-card awards, since the athlete in question almost certainly has no chance of making any kind of run.

All of those things are usually true — and I have no problem saying so in print for the world to see. Except these are extenuating circumstances. Serena isn’t just any past-her-prime star. She’s the holder of 23 Grand Slam singles titles. She is the Serena of the monster serve and a 7-time Wimbledon champion.

She also comes into the tournament 34 pounds lighter with help from GLP-1 drug Zepbound. And that means better stamina and less stress on her joints. Since I have to assume that Serena hasn’t forgotten how to serve in the 4 years she was inactive, I must conclude that the wild card was 100 percent in the spirit of the wild-card selection process. Because WHAT IF, you know?

I’m not discounting the effects of four years of rust, two babies, and a 44 year-old body. I know it’s more likely that she won’t make it out of the first week. But…it’s Serena. Playing on a surface that rewards big serves and short points. A Serena that is dozens of pounds lighter and who obviously feels as though she is positioned to make some noise at the Championships.

And if I’m a little nostalgic, who could blame me? WIlliams isn’t just the greatest female tennis player of all time; she is very likely the greatest female athlete of all time. She’s electric and always has been. I’m old enough to remember when Venus and Serena burst onto the scene. They made headlines at the first possible opportunity and have been doing so ever since.

And there’s something else. It’s the inescapable truth with WTA players: if they choose to have children, they must accept the fact that their bodies will never be the same again. That can (and often does) have career-long (and sometimes career-ending) implications. When Kim Clijsters won the 2009 U.S. Open as a wild card back from retirement and having started a family, I was thrilled at the prospect of the Mom Champion.

And I am now, too. 

Viva la Serena.