Serena Williams to Play Wimbledon Singles at Age 44: All the Details

Williams' last competitive singles match was a third-round loss to Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 US Open, a match that was widely seen as her farewell to the sport . After that tournament, she stepped away from tennis, though she re-entered the International Tennis Integrity Agency's drug-testing pool late in 2025, a move that preceded her return to competition .

Doubles with Venus Williams

Prior to the singles announcement, Serena and Venus Williams were awarded a Wimbledon women's doubles wild card on 16 June 2026, reviving their legendary partnership at the grass-court major . The sisters have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, including six at Wimbledon—their first in 2000 and most recent in 2016 .

At the time of the doubles announcement, BBC Sport reported that neither sister had been named on the singles wild card list, though one spot remained open . Williams herself, when asked about the possibility of playing singles at Wimbledon, responded: "You think I'm ready for singles?" . That spot ultimately went to her.

Williams has won seven Wimbledon singles titles (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016) and seven Australian Open titles, six US Open titles, and three French Open titles—second only to Margaret Court's 24 in the all-time list .

The comeback trail: Queen's Club and beyond

Williams' return to professional tennis began at the HSBC Championships at Queen's Club in early June 2026. She partnered 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko in doubles, accepting a wild card into the draw . The pair won their opening match 7–6(2), 6–2 against the No. 3 seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe, with Williams serving at up to 120 mph .

However, their run ended abruptly after Mboko sustained a left knee injury during a second-round singles match on Wednesday, forcing the pair to withdraw from the doubles competition . Williams described her decision to return as a "pretty 11th-hour commitment," telling reporters before the event that she had "nothing to lose" .

Williams was also scheduled to play doubles at the Berlin Open with Karolína Muchová in mid-June, but the specific score and result are not independently confirmed in the current sources beyond a brief BBC reference .

What the sources do not confirm

The current reporting does not provide independent confirmation of the following details, which appeared in some early or uncited social media posts:

• The specific score or date of a Berlin Open doubles loss with Muchová
• Williams' current WTA singles ranking (she is effectively unranked after four years away)
• The exact date of her re-entry into the ITIA drug-testing pool
• Full draw placement or first-round opponent for Wimbledon singles

These details may be covered in articles published after the current sources were compiled.

What this means for tennis fans

Williams' decision to compete in both singles and doubles at Wimbledon at age 44 adds a remarkable chapter to a career already defined by improbable comebacks. She is the oldest woman to receive a Wimbledon singles wild card in the modern era . With the Championships running from 29 June to 12 July, all eyes will be on Centre Court to see whether the seven-time Wimbledon champion can recapture the form that made her the most dominant player of her generation.