Serena Williams returns to singles tennis at Wimbledon as a wild card

Tennis icon Serena Williams, aged 44, is set to compete in singles at Wimbledon after receiving a wild card invitation from the All England Club. This significant announcement comes shortly after Williams made her return to professional tennis in doubles matches, marking her first competitive play in nearly four years.

The wild card means Williams will participate in both singles and doubles at the prestigious tournament. She will team up with her older sister, Venus Williams, for the doubles competition, adding another layer of anticipation for fans.

Williams' last singles match was a third-round loss to Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 U.S. Open. At the time, she described her departure from the sport as "evolving" rather than retiring. Her history at Wimbledon is legendary, with seven singles Grand Slam titles among her 23 career singles majors. She has also won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with Venus, including six at Wimbledon.

The tournament is scheduled to begin on June 29. Williams recently played doubles at Queen's Club, winning one match with partner Victoria Mboko before withdrawing due to Mboko's knee injury. She also competed at the Berlin Open with Karolina Muchova, but they were eliminated in the first round.