Serena Williams returns to Wimbledon singles after wildcard; faces Maya Joint

John McEnroe makes admission over Serena Williams Wimbledon return

Seven-time champion Serena Williams is back at Wimbledon (Picture: Getty) John McEnroe was ‘rather surprised’ by Serena Williams’ stunning return but believes she has serious intentions of ‘going deep’ at Wimbledon. Williams made her return to professional tennis in the Queen’s doubles earlier in the month before accepting two wildcards from Wimbledon. The 44-year-old mother-of-two will compete for her eighth singles title and team up with her older sister Venus in the women’s doubles event. Williams will play her first singles match in almost five years on Tuesday, the American legend taking on Australia’s Maya Joint on Centre Court. When Williams announced her retirement in 2022, she had won 23 Grand Slam titles – the second-most in history behind Margaret Court. Asked how Williams will fare back at the All England Club, McEnroe – a tennis icon in his own right with seven Grand Slams – said: ‘I guess the exciting part is we’re not sure. ‘It’s Serena Williams, who’s like the GOAT, she’s one of the greatest athletes, man or woman, that’s ever played a sport. Williams ahead of her Wimbledon return (Picture: Getty) ‘So the fact that she’s decided to come back after having a couple of kids and having not played for four years is rather surprising, I must admit. ‘She’s got a lot, from what I understand, going on off the court and seemed to be perfectly content with what was happening. But apparently, and this is for her to say, but she wants to play. ‘I don’t think that she’s coming back just because she wants to play a match or two. That doesn’t sound like Serena Williams. ‘So, I would guess that she’s coming in and she’s got like a purpose and thinks she can go well or go deep or go all the way. Tennis icon John McEnroe (Picture: Getty) ‘It’s pretty amazing, but it certainly gives the tournament a shot in the arm. So I don’t think there’s a tennis fan around that isn’t excited about it. ‘I only saw her play the first doubles match at Queen’s. She looked like she was… she looked like the old Serena Williams in a way. But I haven’t seen her play. ‘Obviously, I haven’t seen her practice, that is different than a match. So there’s a lot of anticipation on Tuesday when she plays.’ McEnroe was also asked whether Williams’ shock return could be inspired by a desire to play in the 2028 Olympics, hosted in Los Angeles. The Williams sisters will team up in the Wimbledon doubles (Picture: Getty) ‘That’s a good question that I don’t know the answer to,’ McEnroe added. ‘I don’t think she’s just thinking I’m going to come back and play a couple matches at Wimbledon. ‘But I don’t know what’s in her head. Maybe she’s thinking longer term, like maybe she wants to play in the Olympics with her sister. That’s a couple years from now. ‘I don’t know. I mean, she’s 44. She’s going to sort of blow everyone’s mind if she continues playing the next couple years. I don’t know what to make of it, to be honest. ‘I’m not sure. And I’m not 100 per cent sure she knows. I can’t imagine that she would know all is mapped out the next couple years, but maybe she’s a step ahead of all of us.’ https://www.instagram.com/p/DaIr4yzEcAb/?img_index=1 Novak Djokovic, 39, described Williams’ return as ‘inspirational and epic’ before the start of Wimbledon. Like Williams, the Serbian legend is hoping to show age is just a number as he bids to win a record-equalling eighth SW19 title. Djokovic said: ‘That’s what I told her. I always admired her career, her journey, her story. Of course, Venus, as well. ‘For her to come back after years of being absent from the tour, two children later, and to give so much effort, not just for her own satisfaction or coming back on the tour, but also to give all of us a pleasure of seeing her back on the court – in singles as well as doubles – is remarkable. ‘I told her that whatever happens, what she’s doing is truly inspirational for me personally, I’m sure for millions around the world. ‘I see her in the gym more than I have, I think, seen her when she was at her prime. It tells me that she really wants this to work out the best way possible. ‘It’s admirable, honestly, the effort she’s putting in. Of course, all eyes are on her comeback. I just hope that she will enjoy because she really deserves. ‘She created something historical, legendary in her career. She deserves every applause she’s going to get.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

2 hours ago

When is Serena Williams playing at Wimbledon and why has she returned to tennis?

Tennis fans will be delighted at the return of Serena Williams (Picture: Getty) Serena Williams will make her sensational return to singles competition at Wimbledon after being granted a wildcard to compete in this year’s tournament. The 44-year-old, who has won 23 Grand Slam titles, played her last singles match at the US Open in 2022 in what was widely believed to be the final match of her long and illustrious career. But crucially, Williams said she was ‘evolving away’ from tennis, rather than stating she was ‘retiring’, which left the door open to one day returning to the sport. And so it has proven, with the seven-time Wimbledon champion set to dominate the headlines for however long she remains in the competition. As well as competing in the singles, Williams has also been given a wildcard to compete in the ladies’ doubles with sister Venus, with whom she has won the doubles title on six previous occasions at Wimbledon. While Williams has yet to play competitively in singles upon her return, she has already had a taste of doubles, playing at Queen’s Club and in Berlin in the past few weeks. When is Williams playing at Wimbledon? Williams will play her first round match against Australian world number 53 Maya Joint on Tuesday, with an expected start time of around 4.20pm. The match will take place on Centre Court. Serena Williams last won Wimbledon is 2016 (Picture: Getty) Victory would see her claim her first singles win at Wimbledon since 2019, having been defeated in the first round in 2021 and 2022. Her doubles campaign with Venus, meanwhile, will start with a match against Colombia’s Camila Osorio and Argentina’s Solona Sierra on Thursday. Why has Williams returned to tennis? Speculation over Williams’ return first started in December 2025 when her name appeared on the list of players registered for the sport’s drug testing pool – a requirement for any player wishing to play. Williams swiftly denied the rumours by taking to social media to say: ‘Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.’ The speculation was indeed true, though, with her comeback confirmed when she was entered into the doubles competition at Queen’s. Williams has said one of the reasons behind her return is her desire for her daughter’s to see her play tennis. Williams featured in the doubles at Queen’s (Picture: Getty) She was pregnant with her oldest daughter, Olympia, when she won the Australian Open in 2017 – the last Grand Slam title of her career to date – before giving birth to her second child, Adira, in 2023. When asked why she has returned to playing, Serena said: ‘Why not? ‘This whole journey, I am putting no pressure on myself. I had enough pressure. For me, right now, it’s so many elements… It’s about my kids getting to see me play. Serena Williams' extraordinary trophy cabinet Australian Open (x7): 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017 French Open (x3): 2002, 2013, 2015 Wimbledon (x7): 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016 US Open (x6): 1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014 Olympics (x1): 2012 Tour Finals (x5): 2001, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014 ‘Olympia is a little bit older, Adira is very young. But it’s also, it’s just moments like that. ‘It’s also that an athlete is the best thing that you can be in the highest place. Having an opportunity to still be able to possibly do that one last time is kind of cool and exciting.’ Williams has also insisted her return is not motivated by a wish to add more titles to her already enviable collection of trophies. https://www.instagram.com/p/DZvEAvjjdBP/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=A84uKJpDWFqODEk0VJHBCdA ‘I don’t need to win. I’ve won more than most people have in their whole lives. For me, that’s not important. And it’s important I keep reminding myself that I don’t have anything to prove, anything to lose. ‘Everything here is just to gain.’ Williams’ Grand Slam tally is just one short of Margaret Court’s 24, which were won over both the Pre-Open Era and Open Era. The tennis icon has spent a total of 319 weeks as the world number one and has completed the Golden Slam – winning all four Grand Slams and Olympic gold – in both doubles and singles. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

17 hours ago

Wimbledon criticised over ‘disgraceful’ Serena Williams decision

Seven-time champion Serena Williams returns to Wimbledon (Picture: Getty) Wimbledon has been branded ‘not a serious tournament’ after giving Serena Williams a singles wildcard and scheduling her return to SW19 to be on Centre Court. Williams, 44, was handed a wildcard to compete in the women’s doubles at Wimbledon and will play alongside her sister Venus, 45. Neither were included on the initial list of singles wildcards but the seven-time singles champion accepted an invitation after the final spot was left unfilled. Williams has played two doubles matches since making her competitive return to tennis earlier in the month following four years out of the game. When she announced her retirement in 2022, the American great was one short of Margaret Court’s long-standing women’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles. Williams will make her Wimbledon return on Tuesday when she faces Australia’s Maya Joint on the iconic Centre Court. The veteran’s return has been met with excitement from fellow players, pundits and fans but Grand Slam-winning coach Calvin Betton has concerns. Fans swarm Serena Williams at Wimbledon (Picture: Getty) Betton, who coaches former Wimbledon and Australian Open champions Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara, doubts Williams has ‘serious’ intentions in the sport and therefore disagrees with her singles wildcard and the decision to put her on Centre Court. ‘I don’t think you can be doing stuff like this,’ Betton said on the Tennis Unfiltered podcast. ‘Isn’t it a gateway drug to getting people like Jake Paul in there? He would put bums on seats and give tournaments some marketing reach… Where’s all this leading? Venus Williams will also feature at SW19 (Picture: Getty) ‘I don’t think it would be that by the way, that’s me greatly exaggerating it, but what if one of the tournaments now says we would love to have Roger Federer playing and are willing to pay him millions? What if another tournament does the same with Rafael Nadal? It could get a bit silly. ‘If she was coming back and saying, “I’m having a run at this, my intention is to get back to the top of the rankings and I want to see how well I can do” then I would be much more sympathetic to it and I would even back it. ‘But we’re giving a wildcard to someone who’s not seriously trying to compete at tennis anymore and instead it’s purely for promotional reasons. https://www.instagram.com/p/DaFgSInsbL1/?hl=en ‘This is my biggest problem with it. We keep hearing that she wants to come back and win – but she doesn’t want to win enough to stay around. ‘I suspect this return will just be for Wimbledon, the US Open and a couple of the Masters events, that’s it. ‘And that’s where I have a problem because this is not a serious tennis professional and we’re giving them wildcards into the Wimbledon draw.’ Serena Williams has seven Wimbledon titles (Picture: Getty) Williams is last out on Centre Court on Tuesday and follows defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek and British hopeful Jack Draper. ‘It’s going to be interesting to see what court they put her on at Wimbledon,’ Betton added before the order of play was confirmed. ‘You can’t logistically put her on Centre Court, I don’t think. ‘There’s enough other big names in the game. Again, I’ll stress it, this is a 44-year-old who hasn’t played a singles tennis match in four years. Serena's singles return is set with a first round match-up against Maya Joint 👑 pic.twitter.com/762ofcmK4w— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 26, 2026 ‘I think they need to put her on Court Two or something, I don’t think you can put her on Centre, there’s just too many big names. She’s not a serious tennis player, she’s a retired tennis player. ‘If so you might have to bump someone like Elena Rybakina off to Court Two, a former winner and the world number two. ‘I don’t think you can put someone on Centre Court who hasn’t played a singles tennis match in four years and is 44 years old. Serena Williams will return to Centre Court on Tuesday (Picture: Getty) ‘It would be a disgrace, if would be a disgrace if they do. That tournament can’t be taken seriously if that happens. ‘She probably will play on Centre Court purely for a safety thing but I don’t think she should be and I don’t think it’s reasonable to the other players.’ Tennis broadcaster George Bellshaw has also questioned Williams’ Wimbledon wildcard but understands why SW19 bosses extended her to invite. https://www.instagram.com/p/DZvEAvjjdBP/?hl=en&img_index=1 ‘To be consistent with our previous wildcard conversations by the way, I don’t think she should get a singles Wimbledon wildcard from a playing perspective,’ he said. ‘I think that would be absolutely ridiculous. I think they absolutely will give her one though if she asks for it.’ Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic – who is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam and an eighth Wimbledon title – has described Williams’ return as ‘inspirational and epic’. Novak Djokovic backed Serena Williams’ return (Picture: Getty) ‘What she’s doing is inspirational and it’s epic,’ Djokovic said during his media press conference. ‘That’s what I told her. ‘I always admired her career, her journey, her story. Of course, Venus, as well. ‘For her to come back after years of being absent from the tour, two children later, and to give so much effort, not just for her own satisfaction or coming back on the tour, but also to give all of us a pleasure of seeing her back on the court – in singles as well as doubles – is remarkable. ‘I told her that whatever happens, what she’s doing is truly inspirational for me personally, I’m sure for millions around the world. ‘I see her in the gym more than I have, I think, seen her when she was at her prime. It tells me that she really wants this to work out the best way possible. ‘It’s admirable, honestly, the effort she’s putting in. Of course, all eyes are on her comeback. ‘I just hope that she will enjoy because she really deserves. She created something historical, legendary in her career. She deserves every applause she’s going to get.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

17 hours ago