By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
@GettyImages.
American tennis icon Serena Williams will compete in the Wimbledon ladies’ singles as a wild card, the Grand Slam tournament announced Sunday.
The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion, who has 23 grand slam titles in all, was already assured of a return to the championships for the first time in four years after accepting a doubles wildcard with sister Venus.
Wimbledon’s X account posted: “This is not a drill. @serenawilliams will compete in the 2026 ladies’ singles at #Wimbledon as a wild card.”
She had stepped away from competitive tennis after 2022’s US Open, pointedly avoiding specific mention of retirement but instead saying she was “evolving away from tennis”.
Serena suffered a disappointing defeat in her second doubles comeback match last week at the German Open alongside Czechia’s Karolina Muchova, with the pair losing 6-4, 6-4 to Erin Routliffe and Giuliana Olmos.
Wild cards are handed out by tournament organisers to players whose rankings do not permit automatic entry and are usually reserved for home players, those with illustrious career records or high-profile players returning from injury.