Serena Williams Makes Wimbledon Singles Comeback After Four Years

Serena Williams, one of the greatest tennis players of the modern era, is making her singles comeback after a four-year hiatus. She is set to play her first-round match against Australian player Maiya Joint at Wimbledon on Tuesday at 19:00, broadcast live on 5SPORT. Williams has not competed in a singles match since the 2022 US Open, where she was eliminated in the third round, and she has not won a singles match at Wimbledon since reaching the final in 2019.

Wimbledon is the tournament most closely associated with Williams, where she has won seven singles titles and six doubles titles. This year, Serena and her sister Venus, aged 44 and 46 respectively, will also compete in the doubles tournament. Serena, a mother of two, recently played doubles in Berlin alongside Karolina Muchova but lost 6-4, 6-4. Now she is transitioning back to singles after an illustrious career with 23 Grand Slam singles titles.

ESPN noted that Williams’ serve remains strong and that she plays a different style of tennis adapted to her current condition. The focus for her and the tour is on her enjoyment of the game and the process, which is notable for a 44-year-old athlete. Serena began training again in February and officially rejoined the tour after meeting the required drug testing standards. She has been practicing regularly with Alicia Parks, ranked 80th in the WTA, who praised Serena’s fitness and form.

Her first-round opponent, Australian Monica Joint, holds a 15-3 record this season but has not won a match since February. Joint is ranked 87th globally and is currently out of form, though she reached the Australian Open quarterfinals earlier this year.