At the Berlin Tennis Open press conference, when a reporter asked whether she would accept a singles wildcard at Wimbledon, Serena Williams mused on her readiness. “Do you think I’m ready for singles?” the 23-time Grand Slam winner asked the reporter back while insisting she wasn’t even ready to compete after playing just two doubles matches. However, that uncertain response in the WTA 500 press room has now come full circle, as she heads to SW19 not only for doubles but for singles too.

“This is not a drill. @serenawilliams will compete in the 2026 ladies’ singles at #Wimbledon as a wild card,” Wimbledon shared on its official X handle. The news, however, instantly became one of the biggest talking points ahead of the tournament.

“Just finished a mean game of duck duck goose,” even the icon said on her X after the wild card announcement. The light-hearted tweet quickly grabbed the attention of the fans, while confirming that her long-awaited singles return is finally going to happen.

The SW19 had deliberately kept the 8th and final women’s singles wildcard spot open until Serena Williams made her decision. The All-England Club waited patiently, hoping the 7-time champion at the grass-court Slam would accept the invitation.

Earlier this week, after losing a doubles match against the pair of Erin Routliffe and Giuliana Olmos, Williams still appeared unsure about playing singles. “Oh my gosh, there are some left?” she replied when informed that only one last wildcard spot was still available at SW19.

These wildcards are special invitations handed out by tournament organizers. They allow former champions of the tournament, former world No. 1 and other selected players to enter the main draw without meeting the usual entry qualifications.

Even then, Williams continued to question whether she was ready. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I wonder why there’s — I don’t know,” she admitted back in Berlin, leaving everyone guessing about her final decision.

As of now, Serena has not played a singles match since her initial retirement 4 years ago at the US Open, where she lost that third-round contest to Ajla Tomljanović.

Back then, the former Olympic champion made it clear she never liked the word “retiring.” Instead, the Florida native said she was “evolving” away from tennis, a phrase that stayed with fans ever since.

Now, at age 44, she will compete in both singles and doubles at Wimbledon, as she had already accepted a doubles wild card alongside her older sister, Venus Williams.

And for many fans, her singles comeback could become one of the tournament’s most iconic moments, even before the first ball is struck.

What happened in 2022 when Serena played her last SW19 match?

Given a wildcard 4-years ago, Serena Williams came within just two points of victory against French tennis ace Harmony Tan. However, the match slipped away from her as Tan edged her out in a dramatic final-set tie-break.

After the defeat, the American GOAT was asked if it would be her final SW19 appearance. “That’s a question I can’t answer. Who knows? Who knows where I’ll pop up?” she replied.

Not long after that, though, Williams eventually evolved away from tennis. However, before that chapter, the 44-year-old had built one of the greatest SW19 legacies in history. 

Following maternity leave in 2017, she returned to reach the All-England Club finals in her next two appearances. However, she lost both matches in straight sets to 3-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber and 2-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep.

Her 2021 campaign ended after only 6 games as Serena retired injured against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

Despite that final run back in 2022, grass has always been Williams’ strongest surface. She owns 107 wins from 123 singles matches on grass court singles matches, giving her an outstanding 87% win rate.

As for now, the icon has not lifted a Grand Slam singles trophy in the last 9 years. As an unranked player this year, she could also draw one of the tournament’s top seeds in the opening round.

Still, the form and flair she has shown in recent doubles matches in Queen’s and Berlin have sparked fresh belief. The big question now is just how deep she can go at this year’s SW19.