Serena Williams advances through second round at Wimbledon

Tennis superstar Serena Williams is not going to let a few major illnesses get in her way to another Wimbledon crown. Although the 29 year-old Williams lost the first set to her 19 year-old opponent, Romanian Simona Halep 3-6, she seemed to get into her groove and came back with 6-2, 6-1 victories in the second and third sets. She did this despite a 49 week absence from tennis because of illness and injury.

As you may recall, in July 2010, Serena cut her foot on broken glass in a restaurant in Munich. She received deep cuts on both feet and lacerated a tendon on the top of her right foot. After undergoing surgery to repair these injuries she remained in a cast for 10 weeks, and an orthopedic boot for 10 weeks after that. In March, Williams was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolus and deep vein thrombosis and was put on blood thinners (anticoagulants). If that wasn’t enough, she developed a hematoma (a collection of blood under the skin) because of the anticoagulants and needed surgery to drain that.

Her come back win just proves the determination and resolve this woman has. You go girl!