Venus Williams versus Andrea Petkovic looks like the match of the day from Eastbourne as Williams makes her return to the tour.
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Venus Williams is back in action following an injury to her hip as the former world number one looks to do some damage in the WTA Eastbourne draw as part of preparation for Wimbledon. Williams won't exactly receive a warm welcome back on Monday however as she faces Andrea Petkovic in the opening round, the 8th seed in the Eastbourne draw.
Petkovic and Williams have met one time before however there's not much to analyze with the result. Petkovic was the player Williams played in the third round of the Australian Open when the American injured her hip and was forced to withdraw after playing just one game.
Williams spoke about her return to tour after a four and a half month lay-off:
"I'm very excited - I can't believe I've finally made it. This time I listened to the doctor's advice and accepted limits... it's hard as an athlete to accept limits, but it was all about that. I never could have foreseen the amount of time I had to take off and there were frustrating moments, but I never let it get me down."
Petkovic, meanwhile, is playing the best tennis of her life as she is nearly into the top 10 on tour. Currently ranked 11th, the German hardly looks a pushover in the opening round and both players received a little bit of bad luck with the draw.
Williams will have to play sharp tennis from the get-go as there is no opening match against a peripheral player on tour to warm up against. If Williams shows any rust, Petkovic can be expected to punish her and the American's return tournament could be a short one.
They are on the Order of Play for Monday with the following details:
Not Before 12:00 PM (UK)
[8] Andrea Petkovic (GER) vs Venus Williams (USA) - WTA
