PARIS (AP) — For all that has changed in the 16 months since Serena Williams last played in a Grand Slam tournament — she is now married and a mother — so much was familiar about her at the French Open on Tuesday.
The fashion statement, this time in the form of a black bodysuit with a red waistband. The cries of “Come on!” The big serves that provided 13 aces. The return game that produced three consecutive breaks of serve.
And, yes, the victory. Competing as a mom for the first time at a major, and only about nine months since giving birth to her daughter, Williams beat 70th-ranked Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (4), 6-4 at Roland Garros.
“I’m just happy to win a match here,” Williams told the crowd in Court Philippe Chatrier. “I’m just happy to take it a day at a time.”
The 36-year-old American had not played in one of tennis’s biggest tournaments since the Australian Open in January 2017, when she won her 23rd Grand Slam title. That broke a tie with Steffi Graf for the most in the Open era. The only player with more major singles championships was Margaret Court, with 24, but those were split between the amateur and professional eras.
Only later did Williams reveal that she was pregnant at the time. Her baby was born on Sept. 1, and Williams married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in November.
The first glimpse of Williams as she prepared for her comeback came in an exhibition in December against 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. Next came a doubles match with older sister Venus for the U.S. Fed Cup team in February. Then came singles matches that actually counted, with two wins at Indian Wells, California, before a loss to Venus, followed by a first-round loss at the Miami Open on March 21.
Williams then took another break to work on her game, and that absence of more than two months ended Tuesday. And what a striking return it was, right down to the outfit — which called to mind the “catsuit” Williams wore at the 2002 U.S. Open — and was paired with black high-top sneakers sprinkled with silver glitter.
The very first game featured an ace at 112 mph (181 kph) and when it ended with Pliskova netting a backhand, the chair umpire intoned, “Jeu, Madame Williams,” — French for “Game, Mrs. Williams,” a change from the “Mademoiselle” officials use for unmarried female players.
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