Serena Williams wasted no time in getting back to winning ways on her remarkable return to the WTA Tour.
Williams won her opening match at Queen’s as she played doubles alongside Victoria Mboko, who has since suffered a disappointing injury.
The Canadian’s misfortune happened in her singles meeting with Karolina Pliskova, placing her doubles venture with Williams in serious doubt.
But the WTA legend already has another doubles venture in Berlin to look forward to, as well as many more potential appearances further down the line.
It is a comeback that has attracted plenty of interest, including from rising star Alex Eala, who has now shared her verdict on Williams’ return.
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Alex Eala reacts to ‘incredible’ Serena Williams comeback
Eala told Tennis Channel: “It’s incredible.
“I did not think that I would be able to experience that in my lifetime, to be on the tour while Serena is competing as well.
“And of course she is great and such an inspiration.
“So to be able to see that firsthand and experience the tour at the same time as her is something I’ll remember for life, even if maybe I don’t get any interactions with her, it would still be an honor to just be in that same space.”
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Alex Eala felt ‘right at home’ on Birmingham grass
It remains to be seen exactly what Williams has planned for her return, but she is seemingly building towards Wimbledon.
And that will continue in Berlin later this month, where the 23-time Grand Slam champion will play with Karolina Muchova.
Meanwhile, Eala is also keeping herself busy in the grass-court swing, which she started by winning the Birmingham Open.
Sharing how she made the quick transition to the surface from clay, she said: “I think just training like normal.
“Honestly I did not have a lot of time to train on grass before I started in Birmingham.
“I probably had like a day or two.
“But yeah I think I felt right at home, and I really enjoyed last week, so I’m trying to keep that momentum going.”
Since lifting that trophy, Eala has also featured at Queen’s, where she beat Zhang Shuai before losing to Iva Jovic.
And it seems that she may just have that interaction with Williams, with the Filipina ace set to compete in Berlin after receiving a wildcard.
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