Tennis fans are set for a nostalgic Wimbledon reunion after Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams were awarded a doubles wildcard for this year’s Championships, marking their return to the All England Club together after a four-year absence.
The wildcard announcement on Tuesday adds one of the most compelling storylines to the tournament, with the legendary American sisters preparing to compete once again on the grass courts where they enjoyed some of the greatest successes of their careers.
Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and seven-time Wimbledon singles winner, has also claimed six Wimbledon doubles titles alongside Venus, forming one of the most successful partnerships in tennis history.
The 44-year-old recently made her long-awaited return to competitive tennis at the Queen’s Club Championships, where she partnered Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko in doubles.
However, that partnership ended prematurely after Mboko suffered a knee injury that ruled her out of Wimbledon.
Serena is continuing her preparations for the grass-court major, which begins on June 29, by competing in doubles at the Berlin Open this week alongside Karolina Muchova.
Her most recent Wimbledon appearance came in 2022 when she entered the tournament via a wildcard and suffered a first-round defeat to Harmony Tan.
Wildcards are typically granted to players whose rankings are not high enough for direct entry and are often reserved for high-profile competitors returning from injury, retirement, or extended absences from the sport.
When Serena announced her return to competitive tennis after deciding four years ago to “evolve away from tennis”, expectations quickly grew that Wimbledon organisers would offer her a place in the draw.
The All England Club also awarded men’s singles wildcards to Stan Wawrinka, the three-time Grand Slam champion who is expected to retire at the end of the season, and former Wimbledon semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov.
Tournament organisers still have two men’s singles wildcard spots available. Among those reportedly in contention are Matteo Berrettini, runner-up in 2021, as well as Dan Evans, Nick Kyrgios and Gael Monfils.
On the women’s side, French Open runner-up Maja Chwalinska was among the players awarded a singles wildcard, with one place still remaining before organisers announce a second batch of invitations later this week.
In the doubles draw, British players Katie Boulter and Heather Watson also received a wildcard entry as a pairing.
The return of Serena and Venus together is expected to be one of the major attractions of this year’s Wimbledon, with fans eager to see the iconic sisters share the court once more on one of tennis’ grandest stages.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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