Serena Williams and sports comebacks
India, June 3 -- At 44, supermom Serena Williams has announced her return to professional tennis. The 23-time singles Grand Slam champion will restart with doubles at the Queen's Club and the Wimbledon and the US Open could be next up.
So, why return to the sport after staying away from it for four years, post her two-decade domination?Maybe it's unfinished business: Margaret Court's record 24 singles Grand Slam titles could be a motivator. Or maybe, it's just fomo. Whatever the reason, Queen's would not mind - hoping to be packed to the rafters to see the legend in action again when the event starts on Monday.
Sports have witnessed legends come back. George Foreman returned to the ring in 1987 after a 10-year hiatus. At 45, 'Big George' recaptured the world heavyweight boxing championship belt in 1994. Michael Schumacher returned after a three-year break from F1 for a third-place finish in the 2012 European GP at 43: The oldest podium finisher since 1970. American ski icon Lindsey Vonn's comeback at 40 ended in a hospital bed after a horror fall at this year's Winter Olympics. Allyson Felix, the most decorated woman in Olympics athletics history with 11 medals is hungry for more and eyeing a comeback at the 40-year-old's hometown at the LA Games in 2028.
Closer home, it's Vinesh Phogat. After watching an Olympic medal slip away from her hands at the 2024 Paris Games, India's supermom wrestler wants a comeback into the system she fought against to rectify. Though Phogat has missed competing at the Asian Games, it's not over. When Serena bid farewell to tennis at the 2022 US Open, she had said she didn't want to use the word retiring. And remember, one Tiger Woods is yet to announce quitting golf.
After all the adulation and the adrenaline rush of ruling the world, it is difficult to suddenly step away. If the body completely goes, one is left without a choice. But Serena doesn't have a recurring injury per se. So, with sports science slowly elongating the careers of sportspersons it's always worth a try. And, by chance, if everything falls into place, then who knows?...
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