The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams will make her return to singles competition after accepting a wildcard invitation for Wimbledon 2026. The 44-year-old also accepted a wildcard slot to compete with her sister, Venus Williams, in the doubles competition. The return of the American star to singles competition comes four years after her last appearance at the 2022 US Open.
Williams has been making strides in the past couple of months, initially returning to competitive play in London at the Queen's Club Championships, playing doubles with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko. The duo won their opening match, but due to Mboko's left knee injury sustained during a singles match against Karolína Plíšková, they had to withdraw early. Williams quickly headed to the Berlin Open to compete alongside former Roland Garros finalist Karolína Muchová, falling in the round of 16 to Giuliana Olmos and Erin Routliffe. Still, she demonstrated the physical readiness to compete in singles competition.
Her entry into the singles tournament adds another headline to an already iconic event scheduled to start June 29. Williams will compete in doubles alongside Venus for the first time at the All England Club in a decade. The two sisters hold a flawless 14-0 record in Grand Slam finals together and are tied for the Wimbledon doubles championship record with six titles. Their shared history and commanding presence make them an immediate threat to the doubles field, even after a decade away from Wimbledon together.
Williams' individual achievements have been historic. She currently sits one major title short of tying Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles. Her final singles appearance in September 2022 ended in a dramatic three-set, third-round loss to Ajla Tomljanović at the US Open. When she stepped away from the sport that year, she resisted using the word retirement, telling the media she was simply evolving away from tennis. That journey has now brought her back to the grass courts where she has previously hoisted the trophy seven times in singles competition.
As she lacks a formal WTA ranking, Friday's official draw could pit her against any of the top-ranked players, including world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, or Iga Świątek, in the opening round. It remains to be seen how her match endurance compares to her peak, but her presence shifts the competitive landscape of the tournament. Wimbledon is expected to be wide open in the ladies' field, and tennis fans will be watching closely to see sport's most decorated champion test her limits one more time.
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