Twelve months after limping off Centre Court in tears, Serena Williams will return to action at Wimbledon after she was granted a wildcard.
Williams, a seven-time champion in SW19, has not played since suffering a hamstring injury that forced her to retire just seven games into her opening-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich last summer.
But having teased the possibility of a Wimbledon comeback in a video with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers two months ago, the American has confirmed that she will play at the Championships in just under a fortnight’s time.
“SW and SW19,” Williams wrote on Instagram, beside a picture of her feet on a grass court. “It’s a date. 2022 See you there. Let’s go.”
The All England Club later confirmed the news, bringing forward the announcement of the initial tranche of wildcards as word began to spread.
Williams, the winner of 23 grand slam singles titles, needed a wildcard to compete after her ranking slipped to 1,208 following her year-long absence. The former world No 1 could have applied for a special ranking but failed to do so ahead of the entry deadline, intensifying speculation that she might be on the brink of retirement following her split with long-term coach Patrick Mouratoglou in April.
Williams also tagged the Eastbourne International in her post, and later confirmed that she will appear at the warm-up event on Britain’s south-east coast for the first time since 2011, competing in the doubles alongside Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, the world No 4.
“I am excited to return to the Rothesay International tournament in England and to be back on the grass – a surface that has been so good to me throughout my career,” said Williams. “Eastbourne has a unique charm that you don’t see anywhere else on tour, and I’m looking forward to playing in front of the fans again.”
Williams first hinted at a return to the All England Club when she appeared alongside Rodgers in social media footage posted in early April. “We’ve been talking about my comeback,” she said. “He’s been hyping me up and getting me ready for Wimbledon.”
Williams’s presence promises to be a major fillip for Wimbledon following the tournament’s controversial decision to ban players from Russia and Belarus in response to the Putin regime’s invasion of Ukraine.
The ATP and WTA responded to the ban by stripping Wimbledon of ranking points, raising doubts over whether some players would appear as the event was branded an exhibition. But the return of Williams, one of the greatest names in the sport’s history, offers a timely reminder of Wimbledon’s enduring allure and prestige.
For all the headlines her appearance will generate, however, Williams will need to hit the ground running if she is finally to land the 24th major that has eluded her for so long. Despite her undoubted grass-court pedigree, her prolonged spell of inactivity and the fact that she will be unseeded will do nothing to help her as she bids to equal Margaret Court’s all-time grand slam record.
Williams has reached four major finals since winning the Australian Open in 2017, losing them all in straight sets.