Serena Williams made it clear that she had nothing left to prove when she announced her comeback after nearly four years away from the sport. Her goal was to have her daughters watch her play tennis. With that, she is now set to compete in doubles at Wimbledon for the first time in 10 years alongside her older sister, Venus Williams. The pair is among the seven teams to have received doubles wild cards. While Serena’s doubles return has been confirmed, many are still speculating about whether she will also compete in the singles draw.

With SW19 having already awarded seven of the eight wild cards for the women’s singles draw, Serena’s name was not included on the initial list, meaning there is only a slim possibility of her returning to singles competition. The American also did not provide any clarity when asked whether she would accept the remaining wild card.

“Oh my gosh, there’s still some (wildcards) left? I’d better get to practice,” she said, laughing during the post-match press conference in Berlin. “Would you be interested that I took it? You think I’m ready for singles?

“That’s the question of the hour, right? I don’t know,” she added.

According to the records, Serena Williams has not competed in a singles match since her loss to Ajla Tomljanović in the third round of the 2022 US Open. Sure, tennis fans would love to see her compete in singles again, but what’s more important is that she prioritizes her health. And if she isn’t ready in time for Wimbledon, she may have to wait until the US Open for her next opportunity.

It’s fair to say that Venus is more likely than Serena to receive a singles wild card at Wimbledon. Unlike her younger sister, Venus has remained fairly active in singles competition this season. She has entered seven singles draws so far this year but has yet to record a victory. The 46-year-old will be looking to turn things around if she earns a chance to compete in singles at The Championships.

Venus will also be in singles action before Wimbledon as she has gained a wildcard at the Bad Homburg Open. She was among the three players to be handed direct entry into the main draw with Alexandra Eala and Eva Lys. This will be Venus’ first grass event since the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, indicating that she is eager for more singles action.

However, it is unlikely that Venus would have an easy time, as several top players are expected to participate in the tournament. This includes the likes of Iga Swiatek, Mirra Andreeva, Elina Svitolina, and more.

Unlike Venus, Serena has likely had her final prep for Wimbledon. She had made her long return at the HSBC Championships earlier this month and had played doubles alongside Victoria Mboko. The two had racked up a solid 7-6, 6-2 win over Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in the first round, but their campaign would then come to an abrupt end.

This was because of the left knee injury that Mboko had sustained during her singles clash against Karolina Pliskova. The Canadian had to withdraw from the event due to the setback, meaning that Serena only got to play once at the Queen’s Club.

The 44-year-old then decided to participate in the doubles draw of the Berlin Open. She formed a pair alongside World No. 10, Karolina Muchova, whose playstyle suits the grass courts. However, the duo ended up falling at the first hurdle itself.

Serena Williams and Karolina Muchova suffered a first-round exit in Berlin

The two came up against Erin Routliffe and Giuliana Olmos in the first round of the tournament. Despite putting in a decent performance, Serena and Muchova couldn’t get the desired result and suffered a 6-4, 6-4 defeat at the hands of the experienced pair.

Serena appeared to be a bit loose on her serve during the first set and was broken on her second turn. Routliffe and Olmos held their serves comfortably to close out the set and take an important lead.

The second set was also settled similarly, as Muchova lost her serve midway. Though the pair pressurized their opponents on their serve, they failed to clinch the much-needed break as Routliffe and Olmos served out the match. They defended four break points and remained strong on their serve throughout the encounter.

This was Serena’s first defeat since her long-awaited return to tennis. She will now be shifting all her focus to Wimbledon, which is set to commence from June 29.

The Williams sisters hold an incredible record at the Grand Slam, winning the doubles title six times and losing just three matches as a pair. The question that remains now is whether they will be able to replicate that success in the upcoming edition of the tournament.