All eyes will be on Serena Williams when Wimbledon gets underway on Monday as the seven-time champion bids to win her first Grand Slam crown since becoming a mother.
Williams' two-year reign as Wimbledon champion ended 12 months ago when she missed the grass-court Grand Slam while she prepared for the September birth of her first child.
In the American's absence, Spain's Garbine Muguruza won Wimbledon for the first time with a final victory over Serena's sister Venus.
Winning Wimbledon for the eighth time on the event's 150th anniversary would be another memorable moment for Serena on the Centre Court she regards as a second home.
But Williams has made only a tentative return to action following complications during daughter Alexis Olympia's birth.
The 36-year-old lost to Venus at Indian Wells in March and suffered a dismal first round exit against Naomi Osaka in Miami.
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Williams played her first Grand Slam for over a year at the French Open last month, reaching the fourth round before a shoulder injury forced her to quit ahead of her clash with old rival Maria Sharapova.
French Open chiefs decided against seeding Williams, but Wimbledon officials placed her 25th despite a low ranking of 181 after her maternity absence.
That move sparked mixed feelings from the former world number one's fellow players, with some supporting the decision and other grumbling about unfair treatment.
"I feel like if they seeded her, there are going to be critics. If they don't, there are going to be critics. Every next scenario, there is going to be something," Muguruza told a press conference on Sunday.
"It is what it is. She's seeded. The tournament can do that if it wants to. Of course, she's many times champion here, so I think it's understandable." - 'One of the greatest' -
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