The buzz has been electric ever since Serena Williams shared her plans to make a comeback to professional tennis after nearly four years away.
However, the announcement from The All England Club confirming that the legendary 23-time Grand Slam winner will compete in singles at Wimbledon still took many by surprise.
“Serena Williams (USA) receives the final ladies’ singles wild card” was the headline that ignited excitement on Sunday, just eight days before the iconic grass-court tournament kicks off.
At 44, Williams isn’t stopping there; she’ll also participate in doubles, having accepted a wild card alongside her sister Venus.
Wimbledon made it clear on social media, “This is not a drill!”
The WTA Tour chimed in, “Name a more iconic return…we’ll wait.”
The tournament kept the eighth and final women’s singles wild card spot open, eagerly awaiting Williams’ decision. Just days earlier, after a doubles defeat in Berlin, she seemed uncertain about her return.
“Oh, there are still spots left?” she exclaimed, surprised to learn there was a wild card available. These invitations allow former champions like her to enter the main draw without the usual qualification requirements, yet she was still contemplating her readiness.
“Do you think I’m ready for singles?” she asked a reporter, turning to her doubles partner Karolina Muchova for her thoughts.
“I think I would be interested,” responded the Czech player.
“That’s the big question, isn’t it?” Williams noted. “I don’t know. I wonder…”
With her decision now made, fans are left pondering how she’ll handle singles play after such a long break.
Since her last singles match, a loss to Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 U.S. Open, she has preferred to describe her hiatus as “evolving” rather than “retiring.” In 2023, she welcomed her second daughter into the world.
“Just wrapped up an intense game of duck duck goose,” Williams humorously tweeted after the wild card news.
Throughout her illustrious career, Serena has achieved 23 Grand Slam singles titles, including seven at Wimbledon—2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2016. Additionally, she claimed 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, all with Venus, and six at Wimbledon.
She also achieved a remarkable sweep in both singles and doubles at the 2012 London Olympics, held on the revered lawns of the All England Club.
In her last Wimbledon outing in 2021, Serena faced an unexpected loss in the first round to the 115th-ranked Harmony Tan, after previously being forced to exit due to injury in the previous year.
Recently, she secured a win in doubles with partner Victoria Mboko at the Queen’s Club. However, they later had to withdraw due to Mboko’s knee injury.
In a recent Berlin Open match, Williams and Muchova fell to Giuliana Olmos and Erin Routliffe.
As of Sunday, Williams had not registered for any grass-court warm-up events ahead of Wimbledon.
She will discover her first-round opponent this Friday when the draw for Wimbledon is revealed.
Although she recently climbed to No. 593 in the doubles rankings after her recent victory, her lengthy absence has left her without a singles ranking.
Iga Swiatek holds the title of defending Wimbledon champion, while Aryna Sabalenka is currently ranked No. 1.
With no current ranking, Serena could face off against top competitors like Swiatek, Sabalenka, or any elite player in the early rounds.
