Wimbledon
Williams sisters eye Wimbledon
2011-06-11 17:34
Venus and Serena Williams (File)
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Eastbourne - Venus and Serena Williams return to tennis just in time for Wimbledon as both play unseeded at next week's Eastbourne grass-court tune-up event.
Serena, ranked 25th, has not stepped onto a court in almost a year since winning her 13th Grand Slam trophy at Wimbledon. She suffered a mysterious foot injury, followed by a lung blood clot which required surgery in February.
The former number one starts in the first round at Devonshire park against Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova and could possibly face top seed Vera Zvonareva in the second.
Should that come to pass, it would be a re-run of last July's Wimbledon final.
Elder sister Venus, now 32nd after last playing in the Australian Open and quitting with abdominal and hip problems after one game in the third round against Andrea Petkovic, will re-live the past in her first round as she faces the German again after Saturday's draw.
Serena played Eastbourne in 1998, reaching the quarter-finals and losing to Spain's Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.
French Open champion Li Na and 2010 Paris champion Francesca Schiavone are also seeded.