Serena Williams will make her sensational return to singles competition at Wimbledon today after being granted a wildcard to compete in this year's tournament. The 44-year-old, who has won 23 Grand Slam titles, played her last singles match at the US Open in 2022 in what was widely believed to be the final match of her career. However, Williams said she was 'evolving away' from tennis, rather than retiring, leaving the door open for a return.
When is Serena Williams playing at Wimbledon?
Williams will play her first-round match against Australian world number 53 Maya Joint on Tuesday, with an expected start time of around 4.20pm on Centre Court. Victory would see her claim her first singles win at Wimbledon since 2019, having been defeated in the first round in 2021 and 2022. Her doubles campaign with sister Venus will start on Thursday against Colombia's Camila Osorio and Argentina's Solona Sierra.
Why has Serena Williams returned to tennis?
Speculation over Williams' return first started in December 2025 when her name appeared on the list of players registered for the sport's drug testing pool. Williams initially denied the rumours on social media, saying: 'Omg yall I'm NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.' However, her comeback was confirmed when she entered the doubles competition at Queen's Club. Williams has said one of the reasons for her return is her desire for her daughters to see her play. She was pregnant with her oldest daughter, Olympia, when she won the Australian Open in 2017, and gave birth to her second child, Adira, in 2023.
When asked why she has returned, Serena said: 'Why not? This whole journey, I am putting no pressure on myself. I had enough pressure. For me, right now, it's so many elements… It's about my kids getting to see me play. Olympia is a little bit older, Adira is very young. But it's also, it's just moments like that. It's also that an athlete is the best thing that you can be in the highest place. Having an opportunity to still be able to possibly do that one last time is kind of cool and exciting.'
Williams insists return is not about titles
Williams has insisted her return is not motivated by a wish to add more titles to her already enviable collection. 'I don't need to win. I've won more than most people have in their whole lives. For me, that's not important. And it's important I keep reminding myself that I don't have anything to prove, anything to lose. Everything here is just to gain.' Her Grand Slam tally of 23 is just one short of Margaret Court's 24. Williams has spent 319 weeks as world number one and completed the Golden Slam in both doubles and singles.
