Serena Williams Makes Wimbledon Singles Comeback After Four Years

Serena Williams, one of the greatest tennis players of the modern era, is set to return to singles competition after a four-year hiatus. On Tuesday at 19:00, she will face Australian player Maiya Joint in the first round of Wimbledon, with the match broadcast live on 5SPORT. Williams has not played a singles match since the 2022 US Open, where she was eliminated in the third round, and 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, are also competing in the doubles tournament. Serena, a mother of two, recently played doubles at a Berlin tournament alongside Karolina Muchova but lost in straight sets. Now she is transitioning back to singles after an illustrious career that includes 23 Grand Slam singles titles.

ESPN noted that Williams' serve remains strong and that she plays a different style of tennis now, with adjustments made for her age and experience. The focus for her and the tour is on enjoying the game and the process, which is significant for a 44-year-old athlete. Serena had faced speculation about a comeback since her retirement but officially rejoined the tour after meeting the required drug testing protocols. She has been training regularly with Alicia Parks, ranked 80th in the WTA, who praised Serena's fitness and form.

Her first-round opponent, Australian Monica Joint, has 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, although she reached the Australian Open quarterfinals earlier this year.