When Wimbledon released its list of women’s singles wild cards, there was one spot still available. After days of speculation, Wimbledon confirmed the most prevalent theory: Serena Williams will be making her comeback in singles.
She was already set to play doubles at Wimbledon with her sister, Venus Williams, as part of her larger comeback this grass season. Serena has played two doubles matches this month, the first being a win at Queen’s Club with Victoria Mboko and the second a loss in Berlin alongside Karolina Muchova. Now, she’s taking on both disciplines at the Grand Slam she’s won the most across both singles and doubles.
The last time Serena took to the court solo was at the 2022 US Open, which at the time was her retirement tournament. There, Serena won two matches before falling in three sets to Ajla Tomljanovic, marking what was her last time playing professional tennis.
In the two doubles matches she’s played, Serena has of course shown rust, but the game that’s made her one of the greatest tennis players of all time is still very much there, and she can cause a huge shakeup in the draw—especially on the grass of Wimbledon, where she’s won seven times and made four additional finals.
Serena’s mentality in her comeback has been a strong asset so far and will certainly help as she steps out on court at Wimbledon once again. In a press conference at Queen’s Club, Serena said that she has “ won more than most people have in their whole lives, so (winning) is not that important to me”. That could very well be the difference-maker in her matches, as her opponents will no doubt feel some pressure at facing Serena.
Her opponents in both singles and doubles won’t be known until the draws are finalized in the upcoming week, but whoever she faces will have a real challenge on their hands. Serena is back, and it seems like she’s here to stay.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
