Serena Williams is making her comeback after a full year away from the tennis court.- The 23-time Grand Slam champion has been granted a wildcard slot for
Wimbledon .
Serena Williams is making her highly-anticipated tennis return after a full year away from the court.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion is set to compete at Wimbledon this summer, a tweet from the prestigious tournament confirmed on Tuesday. Williams has been granted a wildcard slot for the Grand Slam, enabling the seven-time champion to make her 21st appearance at the All-England Club.
"The stage awaits," Wimbledon tweeted.
—Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 14, 2022
Williams had teased a Wimbledon comeback as early as April, but fans and commentators alike were skeptical that the plans would come to fruition. And after her name did not appear on the tournament's intial entry list, which was published in early June, it seemed almost certain that the tennis world would need to wait a bit longer to see the GOAT back on the court.
Instead, Williams surprised supporters by hinting at her appearance in an Instagram post published earlier on Tuesday. The photo featuring her white tennis sneakers.
"SW and SW19. It's a date. 2022 See you there. Let's. Go." she wrote.
Williams last competed at Wimbledon in 2021, where she suffered an apparent leg injury during her first-round match and was subsequently "heartbroken" to bow out of the tournament. In the 12 months since, her ranking has dropped by 1200 spots — from world No. 8 all the way to No. 1208.
Still, the 40-year-old is sure to be one of the main attractions in London as the tournament ramps up. She's still on the hunt for her elusive 24th major, which would tie Australian great Margaret Court for most Grand Slam singles titles in tennis history.
Though Williams has come incredibly close to achieving the historic feat — making back-to-back finals appearances at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2018 and 2019 — she still has yet to break through on the biggest stage since giving birth to her daughter, Olympia.
She'll give it another go in just a few weeks, as Wimbledon competition is set to begin on June 27.