Serena Williams is back on grass after accepting a wildcard in the singles draw at Wimbledon at age 44 while playing doubles alongside Venus Williams. The tennis community has a lot to say about this, and one of the people who has weighed in early is former player Danielle Collins.

Collins gave her take on Williams' return before Wimbledon when she was on The Big T podcast.

"My hot take is I don't think Serena's out to prove anything to anyone. I think this is more about doing what she loves. I think she's going into this, not with a ton of pressure," Collins said on The Big T podcast. "I mean, I think all of us in the tennis world agree that she's the one with the record holder for Grand Slams won, not Margaret Court."

It is justified considering her accomplishments. She possesses 23 singles major titles, the highest number ever achieved by anyone in the Open Era, and retired after participating in the 2022 US Open, having stayed out of competition for almost four years.

She faced challenges in her way back to the tennis world, which makes her comment about playing out of love even more relevant.

Williams teamed up with 19-year-old Victoria Mboko at Queen's Club on June 9. They won their first match 7-6(2), 6-2, but had to withdraw due to an injury to Mboko's knee.

Next, Williams paired with Karolina Muchova at the Berlin Open on June 16. They lost their first-round match 6-4, 6-4. None of this prevented her from accepting the last wildcard for the Wimbledon singles tournament, which started June 29.

The wild card entry into Wimbledon singles for Williams is only a portion of a much larger story about her return to All England Club.

Serena Williams Set for Historic Wimbledon Return Alongside Venus

Williams was officially announced by Wimbledon as having received the wild card entry for the women's singles draw via an Instagram post on their account. It was her first time participating in the singles tournament of the All England Club after a hiatus of four years.

Her return comes with another bonus because Venus Williams will be by her side in doubles. The two sisters have a chance to go for their seventh Wimbledon doubles crown, a feat that will see them break one of the greatest partnerships in tennis history.

Currently, Venus holds the No. 119 doubles ranking after getting back on tour in July 2025, after 16 months away from the game.

Her best performance since coming back saw her reach the quarters at the 2025 US Open, partnering Leylah Fernandez.

Not only that, but Serena’s training got another unexpected boost from Novak Djokovic, who decided to train with her before the tournament.

Novak Djokovic is aiming to win his 25th Grand Slam title at this year’s Championships and has already posted on social media some glimpses of their training.

Are you excited about Serena Williams returning to Wimbledon? Share your thoughts below!

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta