Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam champion, will return to Wimbledon at age 44, competing in both singles and doubles. This marks her comeback to professional tennis after nearly four years away. The All England Club announced her acceptance of the final ladies' singles wild card, following her earlier acceptance of a doubles wild card with her older sister, Venus Williams.
Williams' most recent singles match was a loss to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the 2022 U.S. Open. At that time, she stated she was "evolving" away from tennis rather than retiring. She has no singles ranking after her extended absence but holds the No. 593 doubles ranking due to a recent doubles victory. Her return raises questions about her physical readiness for singles play after such a long hiatus.
Despite her legendary status with seven Wimbledon singles titles among her 23 Grand Slams, her unranked status means she could face top players like defending champion Iga Swiatek or world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the early rounds. Her last Wimbledon singles championship was in 2016. Williams had not entered any grass-court tune-up tournaments before Wimbledon to prepare for singles competition. The singles draws, which will determine her first-round opponent, are scheduled for Friday.
