Serena Williams would not say whether she will accept the last Wimbledon women’s singles wild card, telling reporters in Berlin, with a smile, on Tuesday, that the decision was “the question of the hour” and admitting she did not even know the spot was still open.
“Oh my gosh, there are some left?” she replied when told a singles wild card remained unallocated, before turning the readiness question back on Ben Rothenberg, who asked the question. “Do you think I’m ready for singles?” She closed the exchange with neither a yes nor a no: “That’s the question of the hour, right? I don’t know… I need to get to work.”
I really would love to play with Coco, to be honest – she was on my list
The press conference followed a first-round exit at the Berlin Open, where Williams and her partner Karolina Muchova lost 6-4, 6-4 to Giuliana Olmos and Erin Routliffe at the WTA 500 grass-court event. It was Williams’ second appearance since returning to competition after nearly four years away, following a doubles win at Queen’s Club the previous week – her first professional match since the 2022 US Open singles.
Serena : “I felt quicker”
Asked how she felt physically, Williams said she had felt “more nimble… more sturdy and quicker” than in her first match at Queen’s, adding that quickness is what the grass demands. The result did little to dampen the reception: she was welcomed onto centre court at the Steffi Graf Stadion with a roar, and was serenaded with chants of support deep into the second set.
The Berlin appearance came a day after Wimbledon confirmed that Williams, now 44, and her sister Venus, aged 46, had been awarded a wild card into the 2026 women’s doubles draw. It will be the sisters’ first tournament together since the 2022 US Open and their first doubles outing as a pair at Wimbledon in a decade; they last lifted the title there in 2016.
The pair have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, six of them at Wimbledon, and have never lost a major doubles final.
Reunion with Venus
Williams said the decision to reunite with Venus had been prompted by her daughter. “Olympia told me I should play with Venus,” she explained. “She’s always right, so I was like, okay… We’ll see if we can do it. I think it’s going to be fun.” Venus, a seven-time major singles champion who has continued to compete sporadically, turned 46 the day of the Berlin match.
Earlier in the week Coco Gauff had suggested Williams never asked her to partner up. Pressed on it, Williams laughed off the mix-up and said she would have welcomed the chance. “I really would love to play with Coco, to be honest – she was on my list,” she said, conceding she “should have done better research” on who was still playing doubles.
Asked which single current player she would most like to share a court with, she gestured to Muchova: “She’s sitting right next to me… That would be really fun.”
Wimbledon has so far handed out seven of its eight women’s singles wild cards, with Roland-Garros runner-up Maja Chwalinska heading the list. Neither Williams sister was among the singles recipients, leaving one place unclaimed as the tournament approaches its start on 29 June. Williams has not ruled out a singles return, but on Tuesday she would commit to nothing, repeatedly saying she did not know and musing aloud about her readiness before signing off with the line that doubled as a statement of intent: “I need to get to work.”