American tennis great Serena Williams will make a surprise return to singles game at Wimbledon later this month after accepting a wildcard offer.
The 44-year-old surr starhas been handed the final spot in the women’s main draw – filling a gap left following the initial announcement on Tuesday.
Williams has played two doubles matches since making her competitive return earlier this month after a four-year absence.
She has won the Wimbledon singles title seven times but remains one short of Margaret Court’s long-standing women’s record of 24 Grand Slam wins.
Williams had already been given a wildcard to play alongside older sister Venus in the Wimbledon doubles.
But asked earlier this month if she would consider a singles return at SW19, she said: “You think I’m ready for singles? I need to get to work.”
Williams has not won a singles match at Wimbledon since 2019, when she lost in the final to Romania’s Simona Halep.
She spent 319 weeks at the top of the world rankings and has won 73 singles titles on the WTA Tour during an illustrious career.
She has also completed a career ‘Golden Slam’ in singles and doubles – winning all four Grand Slams and Olympic gold – and won every singles major at least three times.
Williams will discover her first-round opponent when the draw holds on Friday, with the tournament serving off on Monday, 29 June.
