Serena Williams will return to singles competition at Wimbledon 2026 after accepting the final women's singles wildcard from the All England Club, tournament officials announced on June 21, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Williams, 44, has not played singles at Wimbledon since 2022 when she lost in the first round to Harmony Tan [6, 1, 2, 3, 7]. The tournament begins on June 29, with the singles draw taking place June 26 to determine her first-round opponent [6, 8, 9].
Williams is a seven-time Wimbledon singles champion and holds 23 major Grand Slam singles titles across her career [6, 1, 2, 5, 7]. She has spent 319 weeks as the WTA world number one and won 73 WTA singles titles overall [6, 1, 5, 7]. Alongside sister Venus, she also claimed six Wimbledon doubles titles, completing a career Golden Slam in singles [6, 1, 5, 7].
Earlier this month, Williams returned to competitive tennis playing doubles, partnering with Victoria Mboko at the Queen’s Club Championships on June 9 and later teaming with Karolina Muchova at the Berlin Open, where they lost in the round of 16 on June 14 [2, 5]. These outings marked her first professional matches since 2022.
Williams said she has "nothing to prove" and does not feel she "needs to win," but believes she can still compete in Wimbledon singles. She remarked, "You think I'm ready for singles? I need to get to work," showing readiness despite years away from singles play [6, 10, 11, 8]. Former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport commented on Williams's mindset, saying, "Serena's mindset has always been to be the best and not settle for mediocrity. I think we have to assume that she's coming back because she feels she's in a position where she can make an impact immediately in women's tennis" [10].
Williams has lost 15 kg using a GLP-1 weight loss drug, a move that sparked debate over performance enhancement. Former player Andy Roddick supported her, stating, "It's exactly what she should have done. It's avoiding injury while training the way you do" [8, 12, 9].
Wildcards at Wimbledon are typically awarded to players without automatic qualification due to rankings and often go to home or high-profile returning players [1, 3, 4, 5, 7]. Williams first appeared in Wimbledon singles in 1998, reaching the third round that year [1, 3, 4, 5, 7].
Williams will learn her first singles opponent during the June 26 singles draw at Wimbledon, with her comeback match scheduled during the tournament start on June 29 [6, 12, 9].
