New Delhi, June 29 -- When Serena Williams played her first professional tennis match in nearly four years recently, another elite female athlete in her 40s was on hand for the occasion.

Skier Lindsey Vonn has a special understanding of what Williams is going through as she prepares to play both singles and doubles at Wimbledon at age 44.

After making her own comeback, Vonn was the top World Cup downhiller last season at age 41 until her horrific crash at the Milan Cortina Olympics in February left her with a severely fractured left leg.

"There is an increasing shift in what women can accomplish at later stages in their careers or life," Vonn told The Associated Press. "I feel like we are in the same boat, where we don't need to prove ...