Serena Williams spends Mother's Day weekend in Rome ahead of tennis return

Serena Williams has not been played a tennis match since her Australian Open defeat to Naomi Osaka and she is going to do it this week.

The tennis legend has had a disappointing end to her Australian Open campaign at the hands of Naomi Osaka. The Japanese player defeated her idol in straight sets in a match that was one-sided. It was somewhat of a 'passing the baton' moment as it became clear to the wider tennis audience that Serena could not stand up to Osaka at this time.

Some even went as far as saying that this might be it for Serena and that retirement is not far away. Some of that was due to her post-match press conference which is emotional for her. Fast forward a few months and she is back and will take part in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia Rome event.

It will be her first match on the red clay since the 2020 French Open and it will serve as preparation for the 2021 edition of it. Serena skipped over Rome last year and disappointed at the French Open losing in the 2nd round. This year she is looking to do much better.

As a seeded player, she will receive a BYE in the first round but a 2nd round matchup with French Open semifinalist Podoroska might prove a daunting task. The draw doesn't get any easier with Bencic potentially waiting in R3 and the unsolvable riddle named Osaka in the quarterfinal.

In order to fully prepare for the upcoming clay swing, she travelled to the French Riviera to practice at the Mouratoglou Academy. She posted a photo of herself on the red clay of the Academy ahead of her trip to Rome. The reaction to her return was positive with many fans anxious to see her on the court once again.

It will be interesting to see how she does in Rome considering her long absence from competitive tennis. Her results on clay have not been good lately so there is that as well. She arrived in Rome over the weekend with her family and spent Mother's Day out and about.

Bringing her family with her has become something regular for Serena and that added support is something she enjoys. It has not translated to better results on the court so far but perhaps this time it will. What do you think? Will Serena Williams win a title on clay this year? Tell us below.