Serena Williams Reminds Fans Of Her GOAT Status With A Comeback Win

Serena Williams is back on the court with a win!

The 23-time Grand Slam champion enjoyed a triumphant comeback to tennis after she and Ons Jabeur played against and defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo and Marie Bouzkova.

Williams' win comes a year after she was forced to take a backseat to treat the hamstring injury she got playing at Wimbledon.

While fans await Williams' Wimbledon return, the tennis star gave them something to celebrate after she dominated the courts of a private Eastbourne tennis club. 

Following her arrival in the UK, the mother-of-one chose to stay away from the limelight and refused to partake in any press conference leading up to the tournament she was there for.

According to The Guardian, it was not until passers-by saw her training with Frances Tiafoe on June 19 at Meads Tennis Club that fans grew aware of her presence.

Two days later, Williams entered Eastbourne International grounds and won her first match after a year's break alongside her partner, Ons Jabeur.

Although it took her some time to warm up, the tennis star soon reminded fans of her old self as she and Jabeur defeated their opponents — Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo — 2-6, 6-3, 13-11.

Afterward, she admitted that she "absolutely" had moments when she doubted if she would ever play again. Williams also hinted that she was not keen on sharing her plans for the future when she said:

"You know what, I'm literally taking it one day at a time. I really took my time with my hamstring injury so I'm just not making a ton of decisions after this."

To celebrate her win, the 40-year-old shared two pictures on her Instagram account. While the first image showed Williams aiming for the tennis ball coming her way, the second was a shot of her and Jabeur celebrating a win.

The post received over 10k likes and hundreds of comments within the first hour of dropping. Several people in the comment section agreed it was good to have her back in the game.

One person wrote that they had missed seeing her play, and another said Williams was a hardworking lady. A third person called her and Jabeur an "iconic duo" — a sentiment that a few people shared as they said the pair were "on fire."

Meanwhile, others wondered if the 2016 world's highest-paid female athlete was ready for what was before her.

Fans' reaction to Williams and Jabeur's win seemed almost similar to the former's when she disclosed she would be playing at this year's Wimbledon.

An earlier report from The Blast recalled that Williams retired from the tournament in 2021 after she injured her hamstring during her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

Since then, fans assumed she would take a long hiatus from the game. Some even speculated that she had retired from tennis entirely.

Their suspicions grew even stronger after Wimbledon released its women's singles entry list this month, and her name was not on it.

All that changed when the 2009 Wimbledon Championships doubles winner announced that she would indeed be playing at the tournament on Instagram. 

Wimbledon also revealed that she would be at the championship games with a tweet. Soon after her and the world's longest tennis tournament's announcement, fans shared their opinions. 

An excited Tami Erwin tweeted that she could not wait to watch this "incredible competitor" return to the tournament.

A second supporter hoped the four-time Laureus Sportswoman of the Year award winner would receive the attention she deserved as she has maintained her "excellent" skills over the years.

Another happy fan noted that Williams "is exciting…polarizing….and will bring non-tennis people to the game."

Unfortunately, not everybody was keen on Williams' return as one person doubted the 14time major women's doubles winner could hold her own against the competition's new-day players.

Someone else claimed that no true Williams fan wanted to see her lose the game in less than an hour; thus, they hoped she had spent sufficient time training.

This year's Wimbledon faceoff is scheduled for June 27 and July 10, marking the competition's 135th edition.