London. Wimbledon is calling and one player in particular is taking center stage. Serena Williamsas she strolls past Center Court at Wimbledon. Serena Williams on her cell phone on the way to training. Or Serena Williams high-fiving Novak Djokovic as a greeting. Many eyes are on the 23-time Grand Slam tournament winner. At the age of 44, as a mother of two and after a four-year break from tennis, the American returns to London.
Already her comeback in doubles on the tour and especially in the prestigious lawn classic alongside her sister Venus Williams (46) are fascinating stories. Touching because she wants her two daughters Adira (2) and Olympia (8) to see her performances. But that’s not enough. By starting in singles, the seven-time Wimbledon champion is taking the enormous interest in her return to a new level.
“She’s a legend. It’s inspiring to see that,” said the world number one Aryna Sabalenka. The four-time Grand Slam tournament winner is one of the few really big names in current women’s tennis. The Belarusian does not have the charisma of Serena Williams. Since the beginning of the millennium, no player has shaped the sport as much as the younger of the two Williams sisters. In recent years it has been a recurring point of criticism that there are too few dazzling personalities among women.
That’s another reason why the comeback is good news for tennis, as Sabalenka thinks and also Boris Becker argued. Becker is sure that tennis will benefit from this comeback. “She’s just a real superstar and that’s why our sport is booming,” said the tennis icon in the podcast with ex-player Andrea Petkovic. A single by Serena Williams at Wimbledon would lead to a record number of television viewers, he speculated. “Tennis needs drivers,” emphasized Becker.
With a simple line, the organizers put an end to speculation eight days before the start of the third of four Grand Slam tournaments of the season. “Serena Williams will take part in the 2026 women’s singles as a wildcard player,” said the headline of the organizers’ announcement – so no current sporting qualifications are necessary. The organizers held back the last of the eight wildcards to be awarded in the women’s competition for Williams until she had made a decision. The Williams sisters had recently received a wild card for the doubles.
“This moment is also for my daughters. I want them to see what a strong woman I am, who I am,” said Williams before she was back in the spotlight for the first time on the court in the doubles competition at Queen’s a good two weeks ago. She has “nothing to prove.”
The Williams story is also the family story of the rise from a problem suburb of Los Angeles and from shabby tennis courts with father Richard as coach to superstardom. In an elite sport. For many, Serena Williams is considered the best tennis player in history, even if she is Australian Margaret Court won one more major title. The American said goodbye at the US Open 2022 and had her second daughter almost a year later. Williams led the world rankings for 319 weeks and won 73 titles. At the beginning of her career she competed against Steffi Graf to. Today she meets players for whom she was a role model.
But what is Serena Williams capable of now? The sisters should be more capable in doubles than Serena Williams in singles. Together, the two have won three Olympic gold medals and 14 Grand Slam titles. Their combined record includes six Wimbledon titles. However, the last one was ten years ago – just like Serena Williams’ last individual triumph at the grass classic. “It’s just going to be incredible to go out there. It seems kind of unreal to me,” said Venus Williams, who still appears sporadically on the tour. “We know we both have the potential to play great, so we hope we can make that happen.”
But how strong is Serena Williams in singles? Becker also sees a risk for the Serena Williams brand. “If so, she has to win. She doesn’t have to win the tournament, but she should win a few matches. Then everything will be fine.”
Austria’s tennis women’s trio received manageable tasks on Friday at the draw in London for the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon, which begins on Monday, at least in round one: Anastasia Potapova, seeded number 27, will face the Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Lilli Tagger will meet the Thai Lanlana Tararudee and Sinja Kraus will play against Oksana Selekhmeteva (ESP).
Sebastian Ofner competes with the Serbian Hamad Medjedovic.
(dpa/apa/fin)
