Serena Williams will play her first Wimbledon singles tournament after four years because she was given a wildcard, and it has already created heated debates. At 44 years of age, she has not competed in singles in the past four years.

Tennis analyst Pavvy G did not hold back in his reaction, posting on X: "Serena Williams did not even attempt to play singles prior to Wimbledon. Playing doubles and singles is completely different. To request a Wimbledon WC and be granted one when she's not even played a singles match for 4 years is one of the craziest decisions ever made in Tennis."

Williams came back to professional tennis less than a week ago after a four-year hiatus, competing in doubles events at Queen’s Club with Victoria Mboko until her partner had to pull out due to injury.

Playing singles is completely different and would require Williams to put in a lot of effort that she has not tested since retiring from the US Open in 2022.

Williams herself appeared to acknowledge the gap when asked earlier this month whether a singles return was on the cards.

Speaking at the time, she said, "You think I'm ready for singles? I need to get to work." The comment came just weeks before Wimbledon officials handed her the wildcard anyway.

Williams’ last Wimbledon singles win took place in 2019, although she failed to clinch the title in the final match against Simona Halep. However, her last Grand Slam singles title took place in 2017, during the Australian Open tournament.

Williams has 23 Grand Slam singles titles to her name, just one away from Margaret Court's world record of 24, and the idea of going down in history at SW19 was obviously an important part of that decision.

The pursuit of records and the past history of Williams in SW19 add further weight to the appeal of this wildcard call.

Serena Williams and Wimbledon's Record That Refuses to Stay Closed

Williams' Wimbledon story is unique in the whole world of tennis. Williams claimed her first singles championship at Wimbledon in 2002 after winning the final against her sister, Venus. She retained her Wimbledon title the following year.

Over the next decade, Williams added five more titles in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2016, bringing her total to 22 Open Era major singles titles, the same as Steffi Graf's record.

Her subsequent career at Wimbledon became more complicated. After returning from her maternity break, Williams participated in two consecutive Wimbledon finals and lost in straight sets to Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep.

In 2022, with a wild-card entry, Williams was only inches away from winning the championship in the final set tie-breaker against Harmony Tan.

Asked afterwards whether it was her last Wimbledon, Williams said: "That's a question I can't answer. Who knows? Who knows where I'll pop up?"

That answer now looks like foreshadowing. Williams holds an 87% win rate on grass across 123 career singles matches, the best surface record of her career, and the courts at SW19 have defined her legacy more than anywhere else.

What do you think about Serena Williams receiving a Wimbledon wildcard after four years away from singles tennis? Comment down below.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta