Serena Williams will resume her quest for the 24th Grand Slam singles title at this month’s Wimbledon after being granted a wild-card entry by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC).
She was originally absent from the list of players registered for the tournament.
Serena will make a stop at the Eastbourne International first, teaming up with Ons Jabeur to get her feet back in the game.
The former world number one has not played competitive tennis since limping out of her last year’s first-round match at the grasscourt major in tears due to a leg injury.
The 40-year-old has slipped down the rankings to 1208th due to being absent from the WTA Tour and thus needed a wildcard to enter the grand slam.
Williams and Jabeur will compete together for the first time at the doubles event at Eastbourne which gets underway this weekend.
“SW and SW19. It’s a date. 2022 See you there,” Williams wrote on Instagram on Tuesday, referring to the postcode of the AELTC which hosts Wimbledon
Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) said the pairing of Williams, who has also won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, and Jabeur is not likely to play their first match before Tuesday in the WTA 250 tournament.
“I am excited to return to the Rothesay International tournament in England and to be back on the grass – a surface that has been so good to me throughout my career,” Williams said in a statement from LTA.
“Eastbourne has a unique charm that you don’t see anywhere else on Tour and I’m looking forward to playing in front of the fans again.”
Serena’s last grand slam win came at the 2017 Australian Open.
Ever since then, Williams has been on the hunt for an elusive 24th title that will put her level with Australian Margaret Court for the most major titles.
She has reached the final at four majors since returning to the Tour after giving birth but lost in straight sets on each occasion.
Serena Williams has won Wimbledon seven times out of her 23 grand slams but would need a miracle to trip up players like Iga Swiatek, Naomi Osaka, Ons Jabeur, Maria Sakkari, and others who have takeover in her absence.
The main draw at Wimbledon starts on June 27.
