Serena Williams will play singles at Wimbledon this summer after receiving a wild-card entry, the tournament announced Sunday.
This is not a drill.@serenawilliams will compete in the 2026 ladies' singles at #Wimbledon as a wild card. pic.twitter.com/1vHnDEQ4xm
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 21, 2026
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion last played a singles match at the 2022 US Open before stepping away from the sport.
Williams was careful never to use the word "retire," instead saying that she was "evolving away" from tennis.
Williams, 44, started her comeback earlier in June by playing doubles at Queen's Club in London, and she received a wild-card entry to play doubles with sister and fellow tennis legend Venus Williams at the All England Club.
After winning her first doubles match at Queen's - she played alongside Canada's Victoria Mboko - Serena Williams was coy about a potential singles return.
"I feel like I'm probably going to train a little bit more," she told reporters during a news conference. "I want to play singles, and we'll see if I get there, and if not, that's not my journey right now."
Serena Williams has won seven Wimbledon singles championships in her decorated career. Her last title at the grass-court major came in 2016, when she also won the doubles event with her sister.
