It was a losing comeback for Serena Williams on Sunday as she suffered a defeat alongside sister Venus in a Fed Cup game.
The 23-time Grand Slam title winner lost 6-2, 6-3 to the Dutch pair of Lesley Kerhove and Demi Schuurs in a dead rubber game.
Serena did not look anywhere close to her best as the loss put the final score at 3-1 to the USA.
Over a year off from the sport to give birth to her daughter Alexi Olympia and get married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian seemed to have taken their toll on the usually indomitable Serena.
The game was Serena’s first competitive match since winning her 23rd grand slam at the 2017 Australian Open. It was also the first time the sisters played doubles game together in this tournament since 2003.
The American star took time away from the sport to give birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia and get married, to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
There had been speculation she may drop out of Sunday’s doubles match, but team captain Kathy Rinaldi confirmed her participation.
“Serena’s gonna be joining her sister Venus!” she announced, to roars of approval before Williams appeared dressed in a white top, dark blue shorts topped off with a red headband.
The sisters have won 22 doubles titles together, the last of which was Wimbledon in 2016.
They enjoyed enormous support over the weekend from the sold-out 5,200-capacity crowd in the mountainous city of Asheville, North Carolina, famous for its historic architecture, breweries and vibrant art scene.
“To play the two Williams sisters, it’s amazing because we won the match,” said Kerkhove.
“We knew it just 30 minutes before the match. We just both gave it our all and we just had nothing to lose.”
