Serena Williams to Compete in 2026 Wimbledon Singles Bracket as Wild Card Amid Comeback

The GOAT is returning to the Wimbledon stage.

Wimbledon announced Sunday that Serena Williams will participate in the 2026 ladies' singles tournament as a wild-card entry. The 44-year-old has returned to the sport this summer in doubles but will be under the singles' spotlight at the sport's most famous venue.

This comes after Wimbledon previously announced Serena and Venus Williams will participate in the doubles tournament this year:

In June, Serena Williams did not exactly rule out a return to singles play.

"I can't say no right now," she told reporters. "I feel like I probably need to train a little bit more if I want to play singles, and we will see if I get there, and if not ... that's not my journey right now."

Williams returned to the court for a professional match for the first time since the 2022 U.S. Open when she teamed with Victoria Mboko for the doubles tournament at Queen's Club earlier this month. 

While they defeated the third-seeded pairing of Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in straight sets to set up a matchup against Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals, the run came to an end when Mboko had to withdraw because of an injury she suffered during her singles match.

Williams then lost in the opening round of the doubles competition at the Berlin Open alongside playing partner Karolina Muchova. They fell to Giuliana Olmos and Erin Routliffe in straight sets.

But participating in the singles tournament at Wimbledon will be a different stage entirely.

The legend has 73 singles titles on her illustrious resume, including 23 Grand Slam championships. She won Wimbledon an astounding seven times with her last title coming in 2016.

She also captured the singles championship at the event in 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2015.

While it is unrealistic to expect Williams to challenge for an eighth Wimbledon crown at this stage of her career, she will undoubtedly be greeted as a fan favorite and be appointment viewing during the event.