Day Twelve: The Championships - Wimbledon 2015
People:Serena Williams
By:Julian Finney
Getty Images Sport
World's no. 1 Serena Williams thought that she would never play again following the tragic foot injury that almost stole her career back in 2010.
Now, with her career at the tailend, the 34-year-old is relishing each moment as the no. 1 in the ATP women's ranking under the tutelage of coach and rumored boyfriend, Patrick Mouratoglou.
Being forced out of the game due to injury at the height of your power would have been devastating, but it only fueled Williams to come back stronger. And she did.
But the comeback proved to be premature, when she was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism, which could have ended her career right there if not for timely intervention.
"I honestly just thought I was out of shape, that I needed to get on the treadmill or something," she said. "They just said it could have gotten a lot serious a day later or two days later. It could have been really not good."
With millions in royalties and endorsements, along with more millions in the bank, Serena Williams could walked away from the game with his future intact, and probably find a boyfriend.
But there's an itch on the hard-to-reach part of her back that needed to be scratched.
How did the world's no. 1 manage to find the drive to come back?
"I'm just taking it one day at a time. I mean, I'm not just preparing for today or Wimbledon. I'm preparing for the rest of my career."
There's another motivation, of course, since Serena Williams is on the verge of making history by surpassing Steffi Graf's 22 major titles and the most consecutive weeks at no. 1 at 186.
"In my particular situation, I never thought I'd play again," she said. "Then I thought I'd never be able to win tournaments or Grand Slams. No.1 was so far off."
"I'm happy that I'm back."
True to her nature, Serena Williams remains mum on the boyfriend rumors. The world's no. 1 has been linked to coach Patrich Mouratoglou, Drake and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
