Serena Williams Eyes Comeback, But Andy Roddick Advises Caution: ‘Don’t Rush the Process’
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Since Sunday, Serena Williams has officially been authorized to participate in any WTA tournaments she wishes. The American champion, winner of 23 Grand Slams, has indeed been reinstated into the ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency) anti-doping process.
Now, rumors and speculation are swirling about which tournament Williams will choose for her return to competition.
“You Need to Play Matches Before Competing in Big Events”
On his podcast Served, Andy Roddick shared his opinion on a possible return at Indian Wells next month:
“If someone were making a comeback and Indian Wells isn’t really an ideal surface for them, I’d tell most players to go anyway: you need to step out of your comfort zone, and there’s no perfect comeback.
You can’t just show up at Wimbledon and play. You need to get matches under your belt first, after such a long absence. I’d almost say: do you really want to risk getting injured on clay, where the movement isn’t natural?”
“She Can’t Go to Indian Wells and Lose 6-2, 6-4”
“You should try to play two or three hard-court tournaments, then see what you want to play from there. But Serena is such a media attraction, and she’s earned it, that she transcends the very interest of our sport.
No one is bigger than the sport, but if anyone were to be, it would be Serena Williams. So, with all that attention, she can’t go to Indian Wells, lose a match 6-2, 6-4, without having to deal with everything that comes with it.
She needs to be a bit more careful about this. If you base it purely on tennis, and you’re coming back feeling fit and healthy, you just have to accept that it won’t be perfect: you need to get back on the court and find your rhythm.”