Serena Williams spent the first practice before her Rome return getting her feet dirty.
The world No. 1 focused on precise footwork and sustaining height and net clearance on her shots in her practice session on the red clay of Rome.
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Williams is set for her first tournament appearance since suffering a 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-2, loss to Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Miami Open in March.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion is aiming for her first title since she won Cincinnati last August.
Williams was runner-up to Angelique Kerber in the Australian Open final and fell to Victoria Azarenka in the Indian Wells title match.
Serena has raised the Rome title in two of her last three appearances in the Eternal City. She defeated 11th-ranked Italian Sara Errani in the 2014 final after stopping the third-ranked Azarenka in the 2013 final. Williams won her Rome opener last May before conceding a walkover to Christina McHale in the round of 16.
Photo credit: Internazionali BNL d'Italia