LONDON — Tennis great Serena Williams will return to Grand Slam singles competition at Wimbledon after receiving a wildcard into the women’s singles draw, tournament organizers announced on Sunday, marking her first singles appearance at a major tournament in nearly four years.
The 44-year-old American, a seven-time Wimbledon singles champion and winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, has not played a singles match since the 2022 U.S. Open. The All England Club confirmed that Williams received the final wildcard for the championships, which begin on June 29.
Wimbledon announced the decision on social media with the message, “This is not a drill,” alongside an image of Williams on grass courts. Organizers said Williams would compete in the women’s singles event as a wildcard entrant.
The return follows Williams’ recent reappearance on the professional circuit in doubles competition. Earlier this month, she played at the Queen’s Club Championships alongside Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko before that partnership was cut short by injury. Williams also competed in doubles at the Berlin Open as part of her preparation for Wimbledon.
Her Wimbledon participation adds to a comeback that had already attracted attention after tournament officials awarded doubles wildcards to Williams and her sister, Venus Williams. The sisters, who have won six Wimbledon doubles titles together, are scheduled to compete in both the doubles event and, in Serena’s case, the singles draw.
Williams first competed at Wimbledon in 1998 and won her first singles title at the tournament in 2002. Her most recent Wimbledon singles appearance came in 2022, when she entered the tournament via wildcard before later announcing that she intended to step away from tennis following the U.S. Open. While Williams spoke of “evolving away from tennis” at the time, she never formally retired from the sport.
Tournament officials said the wildcard was granted in recognition of Williams’ record and standing in the sport. Wimbledon wildcards are routinely awarded to players returning from injury, absence or other circumstances that affect their ranking position.
Williams’ return comes amid a period of transition in women’s tennis, with a younger generation of players now occupying the top rankings. The draw for the championships is expected later this week, when Williams will learn her first-round opponent. Details regarding her seeding status remain unclear.
As of Sunday, Williams remained entered in both the singles and doubles competitions at Wimbledon, with the tournament set to begin on June 29.
