Serena Williams teases return to competitive tennis, says Tom Brady ‘started a really cool trend’
Serena Williams says she is looking forward to returning to the court and getting her game back. NBC’s Peter KFinal score: Williams defeats Karolina Pliskova to win the Wimbledon championshipReuters
Serena Williams said Monday at the United Nations General Assembly that her return to competition will mean a return to her highest level, “and that has to be more than just me wanting to do it.
“It’s going to take me a little, like, 20 years to get where I want to be and to be ready to really be back,” Williams said. “You have to be ready. I want to go back. I don’t want to be in my bed sleeping. I want to be in the gym. I want to be in the training. I want to compete, and I want to compete very, very hard for a long time.”
Williams said she would not be returning to the U.S. Open next month after being diagnosed with a bone spurt in her right hip in February. She will focus on the other tournaments she plans to play this year, with the exception of the U.S. Open, which is scheduled for Aug. 31-Sept. 14. She said she plans to continue to keep playing but will take time away from the rest as a precautionary measure.
“I think for me, the priority right now is to continue to build my game, and when I get back, my game, I think it’s going to be my highest level,” Williams said.
“My highest level is the U.S. Open, and I haven’t played a Grand Slam since February, so I hope to get back here in a couple of weeks, and then we’ll be ready to hit the ground running,” she continued.
Williams said she would not discuss her injury at a news conference Monday when she was interviewed by NBC’s Peter Karr and Tom Brokaw.
“I would not talk about that right now, I just said that I’ll be back,” she said. “I have to be ready to compete. I have to be ready to compete.”
Williams, who has won 11 Grand Slam