Serena awarded wild-card invitation to play at Wimbledon

Serena Williams will grace the All England Club once more after she was awarded a wild-card invitation to compete at Wimbledon this summer.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion's participation was in doubt after she wasn't included in Wimbledon's singles entry list that was released earlier in June.

Williams, 40, hasn't competed at any event since suffering an injury in her first-round match at Wimbledon last year.

The All England Club wasn't expected to release its wild-card entries until Wednesday, but she was included on Tuesday's list along with Stan Wawrinka, a winner of three Grand Slams, on the men's side.

Williams teased her involvement at the tournament on Instagram before it was confirmed. "SW and SW19. It's a date. 2022. See you there. Let's Go," she wrote, beginning her post with her initials and the postal code of Wimbledon.

To warm up for her long-awaited Grand Slam return, Williams is set to pair up with Ons Jabeur for the doubles event of the LTA's Rothesay International in Eastbourne. The doubles draw will be conducted on June 18.

Williams' elder sister Venus wasn't included in Wimbledon's first batch of wild-card entries. However, two ladies' singles places are yet to be announced.

Canada's Leylah Fernandez could also miss the tournament after injuring her foot at the French Open.