Serena Williams will return to singles competition at Wimbledon next week after nearly four years away from professional singles tennis. The 44-year-old, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, accepted the final women’s singles wild card offered by the All England Club for the tournament beginning Monday outside London.

Williams, who has won seven Wimbledon singles titles during her career, had previously confirmed her participation in doubles alongside her sister Venus. The announcement of her singles wildcard was made less than two weeks before the tournament’s start, following speculation about whether she would enter the singles draw. Wild cards are discretionary entries granted by tournament officials to players who otherwise do not meet ranking criteria for direct acceptance.

Williams’ last singles appearance was at the 2022 U.S. Open, where she lost in the third round to Ajla Tomljanovic. Since then, she has focused primarily on doubles play and personal commitments, including the birth of her second daughter in 2023. Earlier this month, she played doubles at Queen’s Club with partner Victoria Mboko but withdrew after Mboko sustained a knee injury. Williams and her current doubles partner Karolina Muchova also competed in Berlin but were defeated.

The decision to compete in singles at Wimbledon comes amid questions about her readiness and physical condition after such a prolonged absence from the singles tour. Williams herself expressed some uncertainty as recently as this week, asking reporters and her doubles partner if she was ready to return to singles competition. Organizers left the final women's singles wild card spot open until Williams made her decision.

With no current singles ranking due to her time away, Williams could face any player in the opening rounds, including top-ranked stars like Iga Swiatek, the defending Wimbledon champion, or World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. She will discover her first-round opponent when the singles draw is released on Friday.

Throughout her career, Williams has been a dominant force at Wimbledon and other Grand Slams, known not only for her 23 singles major titles but also for successes in doubles alongside Venus, with whom she won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles. The pair also won the singles and doubles tennis competitions at the 2012 London Olympics, held at the All England Club.

Wimbledon officials and the Women’s Tennis Association hailed Williams’ return as one of the most iconic comebacks in the sport’s history. As the tournament approaches, attention turns to how Williams will perform in the singles field after a lengthy hiatus from top-level competition.