Serena Williams to play women’s singles at Wimbledon as wildcard entrant

The seven-time ladies singles champion volition marque her expansive slam instrumentality astatine Wimbledon, 6 years aft her past appearance.

Serena Williams has been handed a wildcard introduction for the ladies’ singles title astatine Wimbledon, paving the mode for her instrumentality to Grand Slam competition.

The All England Club announced connected Sunday that the tennis large from the United States, who returned to contention past period aft a three-and-a-half-year retirement, was the eighth and last subordinate to person a wildcard successful the ladies’ singles category.

Wildcards are handed retired by tourney organisers to players whose rankings bash not licence automatic introduction and are usually reserved for location players, those with illustrious vocation records oregon high-profile players returning from injury.

“This is not a drill,” the 3rd Grand Slam of the twelvemonth said successful its station connected Instagram and X announcing the instrumentality of Williams.

Williams is the seven-time Wimbledon singles champion, winning her past rubric successful 2016, earlier retiring from the athletics successful 2022.

Her instrumentality to the Slam was confirmed erstwhile she accepted a ladies’ doubles wildcard to vie alongside her sister Venus. The sisters won a record-equalling six doubles titles betwixt 2000 and 2016.

Williams archetypal appeared astatine Wimbledon successful 1998, reaching the singles 3rd round.

The 44-year-old returned to competitory tennis astatine the Queen’s Club Championships, playing her archetypal lucifer with Canadian doubles spouse Victoria Mboko connected June 9 . The brace exited the tourney successful the quarterfinals, offering a walkover owed to an wounded sustained by Mboko.

Williams besides competed astatine the Berlin Open past week, teaming up with Karolina Muchova of Czechia, but mislaid successful the circular of 16.

The American is arguably the top women’s tennis subordinate of the Open Era, with 37 Grand Slam titles and 96 WTA titles.

She stepped distant from the athletics aft the US Open 2022, saying she would ‘evolve distant from tennis’, though she ne'er officially retired.

The parent of 2 announced her instrumentality from retirement successful a societal media station connected June 2 , erstwhile she posted a societal media video captioned: “Good quality travels fast.”

The announcement shook up the satellite of tennis and was warmly received by existent and erstwhile players.