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BY THE TIME the clay-court season had started, almost everyone in tennis had heard the growing rumblings.
It had begun months earlier, but as the winter turned to spring and the tour made its way to Europe, the speculation gradually turned from a tantalizing-but-unlikely idea to what seemed like a foregone conclusion. On June 1, it became official.
Serena Williams -- the 23-time major champion and arguably the greatest woman to ever play the sport -- was coming back.