Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam winner, is all set to make a sensational comeback to singles competition after she was handed a wildcard for the upcoming Wimbledon. On Sunday, the All England Club announced that Serena will be returning to professional tennis after almost four years away from the sport. Earlier, Serena had confirmed three weeks ago that she would be teaming up with her sister Venus for the doubles competition, but no one expected her to mount a comeback in singles.
Serena Williams makes sensational comeback at 44. (AFP)
Serena, 44, will now play both singles and doubles at Wimbledon. She had already accepted a wild card for the doubles competition with her older sister, Venus.
“This is not a drill,” wrote the official handle of Wimbledon on X (formerly Twitter). “Name a more iconic return…we’ll wait,” commented the WTA Tour.
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It is worth noting that Wimbledon had kept the eighth and final women's singles wild card spot open until Williams decided to participate.
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It is worth noting that Wimbledon had kept the eighth and final women's singles wild card spot open until Williams decided to participate.
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“Oh my gosh, there are some left?” she had replied when she was told there was still a wild card spot open for Wimbledon singles competition.
What are wild cards?
Wild cards are special invitations given by tournament organisers, allowing former champions and others to enter the main draw without the required entry qualifications.
Serena’s most recent singles match was the loss to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the 2022 US Open. At the time, she stated that she didn’t want to use the word “retiring” and instead declared that she was “evolving” away from tennis.
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Serena has won Wimbledon seven times - 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016. She’s also won 14 Grand Slams in doubles, all with Venus, and six of them came at Wimbledon.
Serena had also won the singles and doubles (with Venus) titles at the 2012 London Olympics, when the tennis competition was played on the hallowed grass of the All England Club.
Her last Wimbledon appearance came in 2022. Serena was defeated in the opening round by 115th-ranked Harmony Tan in her first match. As of now, Serena has not entered the singles draws of any grass-court tuneup tournaments before Wimbledon.
Serena is currently 593 in the doubles rankings, and she has no singles ranking after being away for so long.
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She could potentially face Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka or any other top-ranked player in the opening rounds because she has no singles ranking.
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.
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Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, where Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series.
Home/Sports/Tennis/Serena Williams makes sensational comeback at 44, to play singles at Wimbledon after getting wildcard entry
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