Serena Williams wins Wimbledon

Returning from almost a year out because of injuries to her feet and blood clots in her lungs, she found her appearance on Centre Court at Wimbledon, where she had her last success, too much, she said.

Serena Williams breaks into sobs after defeating France's Aravane Rezai in their first-round Wimbledon match. The defending champion says the emotional response was a reaction to coming back after a 'disaster year' of injuries and missed tournaments.

American beat Aravane Rezai of France 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to maintain her record of never losing in the first round of a major, capping it with her 13th ace.

That’s when she broke down.

She kept crying as she grabbed her tennis bag, as she acknowledged the Centre Court crowd and even as she tried to speak to the BBC television commentator immediately as she left the stadium.


Williams said she didn’t think she would have had the same reaction if her return had happened at a different Grand Slam.

“It’s Wimbledon,” Williams said. “It doesn’t get bigger than this.”