Serena Williams’ singles return at 44 confirmed – (*44*) News
Serena Williams will make her return to singles competitors almost 4 years after what was considered her final match at the 2022 US Open. At 44, the tennis legend not too long ago staged a comeback in doubles at London’s Queen’s Club.
Now she has secured the ultimate girls’ singles wildcard at Wimbledon. The 23-time Grand Slam winner had already been granted a wildcard into the doubles draw alongside her sister, Venus. It will mark their first look on a doubles court docket collectively for the reason that 2018 French Open.
The All England Club had beforehand introduced seven of the eight singles wildcards earlier this week. With one place remaining, many speculated that organizers have been awaiting Williams’ resolution. Wimbledon introduced the information on Sunday, stating: “This is not a drill. Serena Williams will compete in the 2026 ladies’ singles at Wimbledon as a wild card.” It comes after Williams was pressured to evacuate from the resort within the center of the evening.
The youthful Williams sister final performed at Wimbledon in 2022, falling to Harmony Tan within the opening spherical. A 12 months prior, the American suffered a slip on Centre Court simply 5 video games into her first-round match in opposition to Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
She continued however withdrew at 3-3 and did not compete again for almost a 12 months. The former world No. 1 made her return in Eastbourne in 2022 earlier than asserting her retirement, in the end “evolved away” from tennis at Flushing Meadows following a defeat to Ajla Tomljanovic. However, she re-entered the necessary anti-doping testing pool towards the tip of 2025.
Players searching for to renew competitors should rejoin the pool for a minimal of six months earlier than turning into eligible for a comeback. Williams initially performed coy about returning to tennis, however finally confirmed her return in doubles. She partnered with world No. 9 Victoria Mboko at Queen’s final week, and the pair received one match earlier than Mboko sustained an damage during her singles tie and was pressured to withdraw.
The 44-year-old remained for a number of days, coaching on the grass courts earlier than departing for Berlin, the place she joined forces with world No. 10 Karolina Muchova.
They have been eradicated within the first spherical.
In Berlin this week, Williams was evasive when questioned about whether or not she would settle for the ultimate girls singles wildcard at Wimbledon. “Oh my gosh, there are some left?” she informed reporter Ben Rothenberg.
“Do you think I’m ready for singles? That’s the question of the hour, right? I don’t know… I need to get to work.”
That query has now been answered, as Williams is set to return to the singles court docket in probably simply eight days’ time at SW19.
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