Serena and Federer play Rome for first time since 2016

Serena Williams and Roger Federer made a grand return to The Eternal City. On Saturday, Roger Federer announced via Instagram he will play the Italian Open for the first time in three years.

Serena Williams arrived in Rome a week early to get some training under her belt. She had not played a match since being forced to withdraw from the Miami Open due to a left knee injury. This was her first trip back to the Italian Open since 2016, when she defeated Madison Keys in the final.

Rome holds a special place in Williams' heart as the place she met her husband Alexis Ohanian.

She returned to Rome for the first time as a mother, just in time for Mother's Day. The world No. 11 opened with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Rebecca Peterson on Monday. Her mood was great after the match as she couldn't stop laughing during an interview with Tennis Channel's Prakash Amritraj.

But the laughs were brief as Serena pulled out of her second-round match with a continuing left knee injury. She was meant to play her sister Venus after Venus got past Elise Mertens in a thrilling third-set tiebreaker.