Serena Williams calls hamstring 'better,' plans to play in Australian Open

Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Serena Williams says she feels "much better" since she sustained a hamstring injury at Wimbledon 2021, and she plans to play in the 2022 Australian Open, the next Grand Slam tournament on the tennis schedule.

"The hamstring is better," Williams said in an appearance Thursday on Jimmy Kimmel Live. "It took a long time. It took forever, but it's much better now."

Williams, 40, also spoke about her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., and the upcoming movie King Richard. The film, which debuts Nov. 19, details the tennis rise of the Williams sisters and their relationship with their father, Richard.

Williams tore her right hamstring in the first set of her first-round match against Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich on June 29 at Wimbledon 2021. She missed the postponed 2020 Summer Games and the 2021 U.S. Open.

Williams tried to fight through the hamstring injury and finish her match against Sasnovich, but slipped several times and retired. She said she "heard" her hamstring tear when she went for a shot.

"It was sad to miss that one," Williams told Kimmel, when asked about the 2021 U.S. Open. "I put in extra effort to try to make it, but it didn't work out."

Williams said "yes, definitely" when asked if she would be ready for the Australian Open. The first Grand Slam tournament on the tennis calendar is Jan. 17 to 30 in Melbourne. Williams is a seven-time Australian Open singles champion.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion won her most recent major title in 2017 in Melbourne. She can tie Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam singles titles in history with another major victory.

Williams is the No. 41 player in the WTA singles rankings. She ranked as high as No. 7 in 2021, her best ranking since she was No. 4 on July 3, 2017.