The American received a wildcard into both the singles and doubles draws at the All England Club, where she will reunite with sister Venus Williams in doubles while also beginning her singles campaign against Australia’s Maya Joint.
It marks Serena’s first Grand Slam singles match since her third-round defeat at the 2022 US Open, the tournament that served as the closing chapter of her legendary career.
“Honestly, I’m still not even sure”
Williams revealed that her decision to enter the singles draw was made only hours before the deadline, explaining that uncertainty remained part of the process even after accepting the wildcard.
The former world No. 1 said returning to competition after such a long absence naturally brought doubts, but she ultimately decided to give herself the opportunity to compete again at the tournament where she has won seven singles titles.
“I had until Monday to decide, and I think it was Sunday,” the former world No. 1 said. “Because I just wasn’t sure up until then. Honestly, I’m still not even sure, but we’ll see.”
Victoria Mboko of Canada and Serena Williams of United States celebrate a point against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of United States and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand during day two of the HSBC Championships at The Queen’s Club
Although Wimbledon marks her official Grand Slam return, Williams said the emotional adjustment had already begun during her appearance at Queen’s Club earlier this month, when the reality of competing again finally settled in after years away from the tour.
“I can’t say I had a lot of emotions, only because I think I was in Queen’s earlier and I was in London and I was on the grass. Being at Queen’s in particular, because it was in London, I was like, ‘Oh, this is real, like I’m actually playing again.’ Here it was more like, ‘Okay, I’ve been doing this for a couple of weeks,’ so it was kind of like riding a bike. I didn’t feel a ton of stuff yet. Obviously when I play, I might have a lot of things come up.”
Looking forward rather than back
Despite being one of the most decorated players in Wimbledon history, Williams insisted she rarely reflects on her achievements, preferring instead to focus on the present as she begins another unexpected chapter in her career.
The 43-year-old explained that even at home, reminders of her accomplishments are kept out of sight, while memories shared with Venus tend to revolve more around their Olympic experiences than their success at the All England Club, where they captured seven doubles titles together.
“I don’t really look too much into the past of what I’ve done. You would never know that I was a professional athlete if you spent a day with me at home. My trophies are not hidden, but they’re in a room that’s not very visible. I don’t really think too much about what Venus and I have done here. We do have memories sometimes, mostly Olympic memories in particular.”
Williams also said she continued following the sport during her retirement, particularly at Grand Slam tournaments, highlighting both Aryna Sabalenka’s sustained success and Coco Gauff’s emergence among the new generation of stars.
“I did follow tennis—not every single match and every single tournament, mostly just Grand Slams,” Williams said. “Seeing Sabalenka just do so well in so many of those Grand Slams has always been really cool to watch. I love her intensity out there. Obviously watching Coco, who wasn’t super around when I was playing, but I love watching her.”
“We communicate outside of Grand Slams, but I hadn’t seen him in almost a year. We have so many good memories. He gets my crazy and I get his crazy—and believe me, he’s way crazier than I am. It was really tough to see what happened last year with his injury, but you just have to continue to fight and come back.”