Serena Williams awarded Wimbledon wildcard

American tennis legend Serena Williams, 44, has been granted a wildcard for the singles draw at the upcoming Wimbledon Championships. The announcement comes after Williams made her return to competitive play in doubles after a near four-year hiatus from professional tennis.

Williams, who boasts 39 Grand Slam titles including 23 in singles, had previously accepted a special invitation to play women's doubles at Wimbledon alongside her sister Venus. Her last singles match was a loss to Ajla Tomljanović at the US Open in 2022, at which time she stated she was moving away from tennis in a process of development rather than retiring.

Williams has a decorated history at Wimbledon, having won seven singles titles, six women's doubles titles, and one mixed doubles title. Her most recent victory on the All England Club courts was in 2016, when she triumphed in both singles and women's doubles with Venus. The Wimbledon tournament is scheduled to take place from June 29 to July 12.