'A lot of fun' - Serena Williams makes winning return alongside Ons Jabeur to progress at Eastbourne doubles

Serena Williams made a winning return to tennis as she and doubles partner Ons Jabeur came from a set down to beat Sara Sorribes Tormo and Marie Bouzkova 2-6 6-4 13-11 in the first round of the Eastbourne International. The 40-year-old was playing her first match since suffering a leg injury in the first round of Wimbledon in 2021, and, despite showing some signs of rustiness, she recovered quickly as the illustrious duo progressed in the tournament. Ad/> Williams, who will make her singles comeback at Wimbledon next week, admitted she «had a lot of fun» despite having to dig deep to avoid a shock early exit.

Wimbledon'Tennis needs her' — Serena will be 'super dangerous' for any opponent, says Corretja5 HOURS AGO «Our opponents played amazing,» she told Amazon Prime. «We were just trying to stay in there after the first set.» Asked how the partnership between her and Jabeur came about, Williams explained: «I called her. She's been playing so well, and I knew I had to play some matches.

»She's always been so sweet to me on tour so I thought it would be fun to play [with her]." 'Tennis needs her' — Serena Williams will be 'super dangerous' for any opponent, says Alex Corretja Cameron Norrie — 'I want to push towards world No.1' — Players' Voice On recovering from her slow start, Williams said: «Yeah I caught some fire behind me! I needed that. It was good.» Jabeur said she was «honoured» Williams had picked her as a doubles partner — but added that receiving the call was a surprise. «I couldn't believe it.