Serena Williams will make her return to tennis after missing almost a year with injury and illness as she takes a wild card entry into next week's Eastbourne grass-court tournament, tournament officials said yesterday. The 29-year-old one-time World No 1 who now stands 25th after her months of inactivity, joins her sister Venus in the field at the English south coast beach town. <img alt="" src="/imagedata/2011/jun/serena.jpg" border="5" /> Serena Williams "I'm so excited to be healthy enough to compete again," the American said in a statement. "These past twelve months have been extremely tough and character building. I have so much to be grateful for. I'm thankful to my family, friends, and fans for all of their support. Serena's back!" Serena last played on the WTA as she won a fourth Wimbledon title in July, 2010 beating Vera Zvonareva in straight sets in the final. Little more than a week later, she suffered what was described by her management as a cut on her foot suffered while exiting a German restaurant. She later underwent surgery on the medical problem which was never fully explained. She stayed away from match play but was highly visible in the Hollywood and fashion worlds with foot cast and crutches during her down time. The 29-year-old was then hit by a blood clot in her lungs last February and was rushed to hospital in Los Angeles for an operation to remove it. Her main means of communication with the outside world has been her Twitter account, with Tweets never speaking of any tennis plans.

Serena Williams will make her return to tennis after missing almost a year with injury and illness as she takes a wild card entry into next week's Eastbourne grass-court tournament, tournament officials said yesterday

Excited to compete again: Serena

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Excited to compete again: Serena

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