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Serena Williams will return to Wimbledon for the first time in three years after getting a wildcard to play doubles with her sister Venus, the All England Club announced Tuesday.
This marks another step in the 44-year-old’s surprising return to professional tennis after remaining away for four years. Williams left the sport after the 2022 U.S. Open, saying she was "evolving away" from tennis. She started her comeback last week at Queen’s Club, winning a first-round doubles match with Victoria Mboko. It was her first competitive match since leaving.
The Wimbledon wildcard means Williams will play again on grass, a surface where she has won seven singles titles. She returns to the All England Club after Mboko withdrew from Queen’s Club with an injury, which limited Serena to just one match there. This week, she is set to play doubles at the Berlin Open with Czech player Karolina Muchova.
Williams said her two young daughters inspired her return to the competition, adding that she wants them to see her play at some of tennis’s most famous venues.
Serena and Venus Williams playing doubles at Wimbledon is a big moment in tennis history. The sisters have won the Wimbledon doubles title six times together. Their last appearance as a team at the All England Club was ten years ago, when they won their most recent doubles championship.
Their reunion on Wimbledon’s grass courts is expected to be one of the main stories of this year’s tournament. Both sisters have had long careers at the All England Club, and their doubles partnership is one of the most successful in women’s tennis.
Williams' return to professional tennis has been gradual and surprising for many fans. She announced her comeback just before the Wimbledon warm-up event at Queen’s, with few signs beforehand that she planned to play again.
When the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion returned, she had no ranking after four years away from the sport. Without a ranking, she couldn't enter tournaments automatically, so she relied on wildcards. The wildcards for Queen’s Club and now Wimbledon show the respect she still has in the sport, even after her long break.
Playing doubles with Muchova at the Berlin Open this week will help Williams prepare for Wimbledon, which starts on June 29.
There were rumors before Wimbledon that Williams might try to enter the singles draw, but she did not get a wildcard for singles. For now, she is focusing on playing doubles with Venus.
Williams is recognized among the greatest athletes in history, and her return to Wimbledon, where she built much of her legacy, has captivated an audience far beyond the traditional tennis fanbase.
Her partnership with Venus shaped both their careers and added a cultural impact that went beyond sports. The Williams sisters have been important figures in the world of tennis for over 20 years.
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