Serena
Serena Williams cruised to a first-round win. Reuters

Serena Williams returned to the Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Austria's Tamira Paszek in the first round on Tuesday at Melbourne Park.

Williams, unable to defend her 2009 and 2010 titles last year due to a freak foot injury, is trying to win another title at age 30.

The only 30-year-old woman to ever win the Australian Open in the Open era was Margaret Court back in 1973

Williams entered Rod Laver Arena with heavy strapping on both ankles and having only played two matches in five months. She said she would see how she felt in the morning after admitting she had torn ankle ligaments.

The 21-year-old Paszek battled on the baseline with Williams, but had her serve broken in the eighth game before conceding the first set.

It was smooth sailing from there for Williams, who is the 12th seed in the tournament she had previously dominated. Still, it will be interesting to see how the tennis legend fares the upcoming rounds following her time away from the sport.

Physically I felt fine, said Williams, after the win.

I was definitely moving better than I suspected. I still think I can move better, though, and just get that confidence. It would be great.

Court