26 June,2026 07:40 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Serena Williams (Pic: AFP)
Tennis icon Serena Williams is scheduled to take on an opponent less than half her age when she battles 20-year-old Maya Joint in the opening round at Wimbledon, marking her first competitive singles appearance in almost four years.
The legendary seven-time Wimbledon singles titleholder, now 44, accepted a wild-card invitation to the grass-court tournament. In addition to her singles campaign, she is also set to participate in the doubles event alongside her older sister Venus, who celebrated her 46th birthday last week.
Joint, who shares a Michigan birthplace with Williams but competes under the Australian flag due to her father's lineage, currently holds the world No. 53 ranking. She made her maiden appearance at the SW19 last summer.
Williams had retired from professional tennis since bowing out in the third round of the 2022 U.S. Open to Ajla Tomljanovic. Following that tournament, she welcomed her second daughter into the world in 2023.
The American's previous outing at the All England Club took place in 2022, where her campaign was cut short in the first round by then-No. 115 Harmony Tan.
Should Williams navigate past Joint on Tuesday, a potential second-round matchup awaits against 29th-seeded Filipino talent Alexandra Eala. Looking further down the draw, a blockbuster third-round meeting with defending champion Iga Swiatek could materialise.
Swiatek is scheduled to kick off her tournament on Centre Court this Tuesday against American Taylor Townsend.
Swiatek opens against Taylor Townsend of the U.S. on Centre Court on Tuesday.
In projected quarterfinals by seedings, No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka would meet French Open champion Mirra Andreeva; No. 2 Elena Rybakina, the 2022 champion, would face 2025 runner-up Amanda Anisimova; No. 3 Swiatek would play Elina Svitolina; and No. 4 Jessica Pegula would meet Coco Gauff.
The iconic Williams sisters have entered the women's doubles draw via a wild-card spot and are set to begin their campaign against the partnership of Colombia's Camila Osorio and Argentina's Solana Sierra.
Serena and Venus have collected 14 major doubles championships as a duo, a tally that includes six trophies at Wimbledon, stretching from their initial win in 2000 to their most recent crown in 2016. Their first two doubles victories at the All England Club, achieved in 2000 and 2002, were also secured via wild-card entries.
