Serena Williams will make her return to competitive tennis following a lengthy injury layoff in Cincinnati next week, saying she "hopes to blow the joint up", and return to the top of the world rankings.
Sidelined with a chronic left knee injury, Williams has seen her ranking slip to 140 but the ex-world number one is confident she can again become a dominating force on the WTA Tour.
"I definitely think so, if I didn't I wouldn't be trying to play," Williams said during a tele-conference on Thursday. "There is definitely some potential there.
"I hope to get a lot of satisfaction out of my game. I hope to go out there and blow the joint up."
Williams, however, was making no predictions for her comeback next week at the low-key $175,000 Tier III hard court event in Cincinnati.
The seven-time Grand Slam winner has played just three matches this year, posting a record of 2-1, and has not seen any action since a third-round loss to Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova at the Australian Open in January.
"I am really excited to just get out there and do my thing," said Williams. "I hope I'm in good shape.
"My goals, I've always never said them out loud. I just expect to do what I do best and I think I play tennis best. And it's what I like to do best as well."
Williams hopes her comeback will take her to the US Open which begins in New York on August 28.
© 2024 Rediff.com -