Serena Williams discusses her Wimbledon singles comeback after returning to professional tennis earlier in the season at the Queen’s Club. She says the timing and risk of playing singles—where she must cover the full court against top opponents—were central to her uncertainty. Williams had planned a comeback in doubles at age 44 following four years away from the tour, but she decided to test herself further by accepting a singles wildcard. According to Williams, the decision was made very late: she was announced as the final women’s singles wildcard on Sunday 21 June, one day before the qualifying draw. She describes being unsure until the last moment and noting she still did not have certainty about how it would go at the time of her pre-tournament press conference. Other outlets similarly report that Williams explains she was not fully confident about returning for singles and had to talk herself into taking the wildcard opportunity for Wimbledon. Across the coverage, the emphasis remains on her uncertainty, the late confirmation of the wildcard, and her choice to expand her return from doubles to singles.
Serena Williams explains her last-minute decision to return in Wimbledon singles
Serena Williams discusses her Wimbledon singles comeback after returning to professional tennis earlier in the season at the Queen’s Club. She says the timing and risk of playing singles—where she mus...
- Serena Williams returns to professional tennis after four years away.
- She planned a Wimbledon doubles comeback before deciding to play singles.
- Williams accepts a Wimbledon women’s singles wildcard despite being unsure about the decision.
- She says she was announced as the final singles wildcard on Sunday 21 June, one day before the qualifying draw.
- Williams highlights that singles play poses a greater challenge than doubles, requiring full-court coverage.
The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion who ‘evolved away’ from tennis shares why she’s backFor two long weeks, since her return to the courts of a professional tennis tournament at the Queen’s Club, a clock was ticking in Serena Williams’s mind. She had already committed to making her comeback in doubles at 44 after four years away from the sport, but doubles only requires a player to cover half a court with the help of a partner. The real question was whether she would dare to put herself on the line again in singles against the best tennis players in the world.Williams’s decision to supercharge her comeback by taking a singles wildcard into Wimbledon, it turned out, was exactly as last minute as it appeared. She was only announced as the final wildcard for the women’s singles draw on Sunday 21 June, one day before the qualifying draw was made: “I had until Monday to decide. I think it was like Sunday. I just wasn’t sure up until then. Honestly, I’m still not even sure, but we’ll see,” Williams says, smiling, in her pre‑tournament press conference. Continue reading...
1 month agoSerena Williams "wasn't sure" about playing singles at Wimbledon — and had to convince herself to accept a wild card for the tournament.
1 month agoSerena Williams reveals why she accepted Wimbledon singles comeback
1 month ago
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