WTA have fingers crossed on return of Serena Williams

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) certainly would benefit from Serena Williams returning to full strength and being back on the court.

Serena Williams has offered no timetable for when she will return to action, but the American passed a milestone last week when she returned to the practice court for the first time since serious medical problems in February.

A week ago, Williams posted two messages on her Twitter account. The first promised "cool news" and promised to update her followers "with a pic".

The second read: "Look who I spotted on the court. Her first day back." The tweet linked to a photograph showing her at the baseline in a pink body suit, appearing to be midway through her serving motion.

The younger of the Williams sisters, 29, has not played in a tournament since winning at Wimbledon last July. She suffered a serious cut on her foot in the following week and needed two operations, and in February she experienced blood clots in her legs and on a lung.

She was in such fine form before her injury and medical issues that she is ranked No 10 despite not playing in nine months.

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) certainly would benefit from her return to full strength and being back on the court.

She is one of the greatest draws in the sport, along with her sister Venus, who remains out with a leg injury, and Maria Sharapova, who is fighting back from shoulder woes.

If all three of them are ready in time for Wimbledon, WTA officials probably would be giddy with excitement.