LONDON — In a remarkable return to the court, Serena Williams will square off against 20-year-old Maya Joint in the first round of Wimbledon, marking her first singles match in almost four years.
The legendary seven-time Wimbledon champion, at 44 years old, has accepted a wild-card entry into the prestigious grass-court Grand Slam. She will also join forces with her elder sister Venus, who recently celebrated her 46th birthday, in the doubles competition.
This thrilling comeback began with two doubles warm-up matches, but intensified when the All England Club confirmed Serena’s singles participation following the draw announcement on Friday.
Maya Joint, hailing from Michigan like Williams, represents Australia through her father. Currently ranked No. 53, she made her Wimbledon debut last year but faced an early exit against Liudmila Samsonova, losing 6-3, 6-2.
Joint captured the Eastbourne Open last year, claiming one of her two WTA tour-level singles titles.
Williams last appeared in singles competition during the 2022 U.S. Open, where she suffered a heartbreaking third-round defeat to Ajla Tomljanovic. During that time, she refrained from using the term “retirement,” instead expressing that she was “evolving” away from tennis. Just this year, her second daughter was welcomed into the world.
Serena’s most recent outing at Wimbledon was in 2022 when she was knocked out in the first round by Harmony Tan, who was ranked 115th at that time.
Should Williams triumph over Joint on Tuesday, she might next encounter rising Filipino talent Alexandra Eala, seeded 29th, in the second round, with a potential matchup against defending champion Iga Swiatek looming in the third round.
Swiatek is set to open her campaign on Centre Court against Taylor Townsend of the U.S. on Tuesday.
As for Canadian contenders, Denis Shapovalov will kick off his tournament against unseeded Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta, possibly setting up a second-round clash with the rising star Rafael Jodar from Spain.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, the third seed, will face unseeded Alexander Shevchenko from Kazakhstan in his first round. If victorious, he could meet another unseeded rival in the second round, with a potential quarterfinal showdown against No. 7 Novak Djokovic on the horizon.
Gabriel Diallo is set to challenge France’s Benjamin Bonzi, also unseeded, in Round 1 and could face sixth-seeded Taylor Fritz from the U.S. in Round 3.
On the women’s front, No. 22 Leylah Fernandez will begin her tournament against Indonesia’s unseeded Janice Tjen, while qualifier Bianca Andreescu faces China’s Zhang Shuai. Unfortunately, Victoria Mboko will not compete due to injury.
In women’s doubles, the second-seeded team of Gabriela Dabrowski, from Ottawa, and Brazil’s Luisa Stefani will take on Poland’s Alicja Rosolska and Chile’s Alexa Guarachi in their opening match. Fernandez and Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva will contend with Anna Danilina from Kazakhstan and Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic.
Projected matchups in the quarterfinals could see No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka face French Open champion Mirra Andreeva; No. 2 Elena Rybakina, the 2022 champion, take on Amanda Anisimova; No. 3 seed Iga Swiatek meet Elina Svitolina; and No. 4 Jessica Pegula clash with Coco Gauff.
On the men’s side, No. 1 Jannik Sinner will commence his title defense against Miomir Kecmanovic on Centre Court on Monday.
Seven-time champion Djokovic, now seeded No. 7, will face off against China’s Wu Yibing.
Two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz, who lost to Sinner in the 2025 final, will miss this year’s tournament due to a wrist injury.
The excitement of Wimbledon kicks off on Monday!
Serena and Venus in doubles
The Williams sisters are set to compete as wild-card entries in the women’s doubles, facing Colombia’s Camila Osorio and Argentina’s Solana Sierra in their first-round match.
With 14 Grand Slam doubles titles—six of which were at Wimbledon—the Williams sisters have a storied history, winning their first title in 2000 and their last in 2016. Notably, their initial two titles at the All England Club were secured as wild cards.
–with contributions from Sportsnet staff
