Serena Williams eager to return after lockdown break

Serena Williams of the U.S. plays a shot against Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia during their first-round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, May 27, 2019. [AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin]

US superstar Serena Williams says she’s ready to play “real tennis” after the enforced rest of coronavirus quarantine.

“I really look forward to getting back on the court,” the 23-time Grand Slam champion said in a chat with elder sister Venus during an Instagram live workout on Tuesday. “It’s what I do best. I absolutely love playing.”

Tennis is on hiatus until at least mid-July thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the French Open postponed until autumn and Wimbledon cancelled for the first time since World War II.

Serena said she’d come to see the break as “a necessary evil. “I felt like my body needed it, even though I didn’t want it,” said the 38-year-old, who last won a Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open.

Elder sister Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam winner, began posting workouts on Instagram eight weeks ago and this week she invited Serena, “the greatest tennis player to ever exist - my little sister” to share a yoga-inspired stretching session.

Serena said the exercises, which took about half an hour, served as a warm-up for her, even though they were “a little intense.”

“Do not injure yourself doing this,” she admonished during one lunge, while advising at another point:  “If you have bad knees, like me, use a pad.”

Meanwhile, phones have been ringing off the hook, venue bosses are working harder than ever and search engines are being sent into overdrive after some recreational sports were given the go-ahead to return in England.

Golf, tennis, angling and basketball are among the sports taking tentative steps in allowing the general public to return to participation on Wednesday as coronavirus lockdown measures are eased.

But each sport is also urging caution and vigilance as they seek to keep the spread of the virus under control while also helping protect people’s mental health and well-being.

So, how has the first wave of the nation’s sports begun to come out of hibernation after two months?

BBC Sport has spoken to a number of clubs and organisations hoping to use fun and games as a vehicle for helping the country come gradually out of lockdown.

Courses across England will once again be alive with the sound of golf balls being hit on Wednesday.

Governing bodies have worked together to formulate how the game can be played safely during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

There is plenty of guidance on how to socially distance, new rules on course etiquette and phrases such as “wash your hands, don’t touch the flag” which have now entered the golfing lexicon.

David Rickman, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club’s executive director of governance, said everyone in the sport is “conscious of the continued impact of the pandemic and that lives are still being lost”, but added that golf has a “small part to play” in the nation’s well-being.

“We are fortunate that golf lends itself to social distancing, so by making a few relatively small changes to the rules and the environment in which we play, we can make it safe for golfers,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.