Brad Gilbert says Serena Williams will be dangerous if she gets past her first few matches at Wimbledon and reaches the second week. Williams, 40, accepted a main draw wildcard into Wimbledon and she is set to play her first singles tournament since retiring her Wimbledon first round match exactly a year ago.
In the Wimbledon first round, Williams faces Harmony Tan, a player she has never played before. “I don’t know a lot about her first opponent, Harmony Tan. Everything here is about if she can get a few wins. If she does get a few, we need to see how her body reacts.
If she can get to the second week, it’s a different story. We will know a lot more of where she is at if she gets past the first week,” Gilbert said on ESPN.
Gilbert, Chris Evert and Pam Shriver on Williams
Williams made her comeback to tennis last week as she and Ons Jabeur reached the Eastbourne doubles semifinal, before the Tunisian was forced to pull out due to an injury.
“It’s hard to tell how she is playing by watching her play doubles. It’s hard to tell about her moving side to side, and it’s hard to gauge how quickly her instincts will come back. Her power is there, her serve looks great and we know she handles pressure well.
It will be interesting,” Evert said. Williams is a seven-time Wimbledon champion and she has always felt extremely comfortable at The All England Club. Shriver underlined Williams is an all-time Wimbledon great and she will always have a chance at The Championships.
“It’s a joy to have her playing again. I suspect her court coverage won’t be good enough to win No. 24, but if her serve is firing on all cylinders, and she plays points with constant aggression not allowing opponents to play offensive, then I can dream of a second week Serena run,” Shriver said.
