SERENA WILLIAMS will play Wimbledon singles next week aged 44 — in her first match for four years.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion will be aiming for one last major after taking a wildcard off the All England Club.
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Serena Williams played doubles in Berlin earlier this week Credit: Reuters
Williams, 44, speaks after her defeat alongside Karolina Muchova Credit: EPA
Williams is one shy of equalling Margaret Court’s tally of 24 singles Slams, which has stood since 1973.
Though she stopped playing after the US Open in 2022, she has decided to return to the professional ranks this summer.
And more than a week after it was announced she would play doubles with elder sister Venus, 46, she is now going to enter the singles competition.
A final wildcard spot had been left open and following conversations with the tennis authorities, she has taken up the place.
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The sport has moved on since she last played and there will be interest as to whether she has the pace, power and fitness to beat the top players.Wimbledon said on Instagram: “This is not a drill.
“Serena Williams will compete in the 2026 ladies’ singles at Wimbledon as a wildcard.”
Williams has played two doubles matches since returning to the professional ranks earlier this month.
She began her comeback at Queen’s alongside Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko.
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Serena will reprise her sensational doubles partnership with sister Venus Credit: PA
The new partnership beat No3 seeds Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar Martinez 7-6 6-2 – before being forced to withdraw following an injury suffered by Mboko in her singles match.
Williams then paired up with Karolina Muchova in Berlin, the duo losing 6-4 6-4 to Routliffe and Gabriela Olmos in their first match.
Wimbledon main draw wildcards in full
Gentlemen’s singles:
Grigor Dimitrov
Jacob Fearnley
Felix Gill
Jack Pinnington Jones
Toby Samuel
Stan Wawrinka
Harry Wendelken
Ladies’ singles:
Maja Chwalinska
Harriet Dart
Alicia Dudeney
Hannah Klugman
Mika Stojsavljevic
Katie Swan
Serena Williams
Mimi Xu
Gentlemen’s doubles:
Alexander Bublik and Nick Kyrgios
Dan Evans and Henry Searle
Ben Jones and Joshua Paris
Johannus Monday and Harry Wendelken
David Stevenson and Marcus Williams
TBA
TBA
Ladies’ doubles:
Katie Boulter and Heather Watson
Madeleine Brooks and Amelia Rajecki
Jodie Burrage and Mike Stojsavljevic
Freya Christie and Eden Silva
Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden
Alicia Dudeney and Mimi Xu
Serena Williams and Venus Williams
Williams is the greatest female tennis player of all time Credit: AFP
