Serena Williams will enter Wimbledon ladies’ singles as a wild card after a comeback attempt that began June 8 in London, while she and Venus Williams prepare for a doubles reunion at the Championships.
Serena Williams walked into Wimbledon’s draw with a decision that surprised even the people around her: she will play the ladies’ singles competition as a wild card.
The Grand Slam tournament announced Sunday, June 21 that the 44-year-old will take the final spot in the main draw. The move comes on the same backdrop as her planned appearance with Venus Williams in women’s doubles.
Williams retired in 2022 but signaled her return earlier this month. Her first-round opponent will be revealed when the draw takes place on Friday, June 26, with the tournament beginning on Monday, June 29.
The timeline tracks a comeback that has been both deliberate and personal. Four years ago, Williams said she’d be “evolving away” from tennis instead of explicitly retiring, leaving the door open. Now, with children aged 8 and 3, she has been open that the return is largely so they can see her play.
Not long after it was announced Serena and Venus would reunite at Wimbledon for doubles. Williams said it was her eldest daughter. Olympia. who came up with the idea. When asked around the same time about a possible wildcard singles return. Williams stayed guarded. reacting with uncertainty that sounded more like a check-in than a promise.
“Oh my gosh, there’s some left?” Williams asked. “Well, I better get to practice! You think I’m ready for singles? I need to get to work.”
Her post-retirement run began on June 8 at the HSSBC Championship in London, where she partnered with young Canadian Victoria Mboko. Williams and Mboko won their opening match, but their progress was cut short when Mboko was ruled out with an injury.
Williams also competed the following week at the WTA 500 Berlin Open. In Berlin, she played doubles with Czech player Karolina Muchova, and they were eliminated in the opening round.
At Wimbledon, the significance is unmistakable. Williams has won 23 major titles. including seven Wimbledon singles championships—placing her one win short of Margaret Court’s long-standing women’s record of 24 Grand Slam wins. She also holds a singles-and-doubles “Golden Slam. ” having won all four Grand Slams and Olympic gold and every singles major at least three times.
Her last appearance in singles came at the 2022 U.S. Open, where she lost a three-set match to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović. Her last Wimbledon singles title dates to 2016, when she and Venus also captured the overall doubles event.
The sequence of events—return announced earlier this month. doubles reunion already set. and now singles added through a wild card—means Wimbledon will be testing more than just her game. It will be testing how quickly her comeback can translate from practice decisions and short runs into the kind of sustained tournament run she once built on the sport’s biggest stages.
Serena Williams Wimbledon wild card ladies' singles Venus Williams doubles reunion Wimbledon draw June 26 tournament begins June 29 comeback
Wild card?? So she’s just automatically in? Weird.
I saw Serena might be back but I didn’t think it would be singles at Wimbledon lol. If she’s 44 and has kids, good for her but I’m guessing she’ll get smoked first round.
Wait does this mean she’s skipping the qualifiers? Because that feels kinda unfair to everyone else grinding. Also I thought Venus was already doing doubles, so is Serena doing both? My brain can’t keep up.
Serena being a wild card just screams “marketing” to me. Like ok she’s famous, but Wimbledon isn’t supposed to be a celebrity thing right? And didn’t she retire 2022?? I swear I heard a different date somewhere, maybe the headline is missing context. Olympia coming up with the idea is cute though, so I guess people will be rooting for her anyway.