Serena Williams announces Wimbledon return
Serena Williams announced on social media that she will make her comeback to play in the 20th Wimbledon after receiving a wild-card invitation that sent the internet into shambles.
"SW and SW19," Williams posted on Instagram Tuesday. "It's a date. 2022, see you there." SW19 is the postcode district in Southwest London incorporating Wimbledon, among other boroughs.
The 40-year-old star has not played a single game after her first exit round at Wimbledon 12 months ago after withdrawing during the first set due to a leg injury and now wants to seek her eighth title and an elusive 24th Major.
Williams also skipped Wimbledon in 1999, 2006 and 2017, and people believed this year would be her fourth time to skip as she has not been actively competing and will actually drop out of the WTA rankings for the first time since October 1997 despite her Wimbledon result.
Serena will compete in ladies' singles, according to an announcement from Wimbledon Tuesday but will first make her comeback to the court in Eastbourne next week for the LTA's Rothesay International, pairing up with Tunisia's world No. 4 Ons Jabeur for the doubles event, in what will be her first tournament appearance in almost a year, according to the tournament.
Initially, Williams’ name was not part of the women's singles entry list released by the grass-court Grand Slam tournament earlier this month, but she was among a half-dozen women given a spot in the singles draw on Tuesday, along with five British players: Katie Boulter, Jodie Burrage, Sonay Kartal, Yuriko Miyazaki and Katie Swan.
Stan Warinka, a three-time major champion, is also included as one of eight confirmed men’s wild-card berths.
Wimbledon is scheduled for June 27 to July 10 at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club.
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