Serena And Tennis Have A Tearful Reunion At Wimbledon

This is the moment that tennis has been waiting for: its reluctant female lead in joyful tears after her triumphant return to Grand Slam tennis. The SportsCenter tribute is next. Serena Williams won her first-round match against Arvane Rezai in three sets today, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, and was in tears when the BBC caught up with her for a post-match interview:

After serving her 13th ace to close the match, Williams buried her face in her towel and sobbed from her courtside chair. She was still crying as she walked off the court.

Williams told the BBC that "it had been a disaster year" and expressed how lucky she felt to return to Wimbledon, which she and her sister Venus have more or less monopolized for the past decade (a Williams sister has been crowned the Wimbledon ladies' champion for 9 of the past 11 years; 4 of those 9 finals were Williams vs. Williams). And then she said those three words we've been waiting on for the past year: "I love tennis." It must be rather pleased to have her back, too.