Serena Williams hasn’t played singles in four years. She will have to put in a monumental effort if she wants to reach the later stages of the singles draw at Wimbledon. The American’s draw for SW19 has just been revealed, and getting past her first three opponents can be massively challenging for her.

Serena will take on World No. 53 Maya Joint in the first round of the tournament on Tuesday, June 30. Joint—born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, but played for Australia (dual citizenship because her father is Australian) because of a lack of backing from the United States Tennis Association—could prove to be a tricky opponent. Joint is a strong grass-court player and has proven her credentials last season by triumphing at the Eastbourne Open, which was her second WTA title.

But the real challenge may begin in the second round. If Serena beats Joint, she will probably take on Alexandra Eala. The Birmingham Open winner and Berlin Open semifinalist has had a solid grass swing so far and will aim to go on a run at Wimbledon.

If Serena defeats Eala, then she is likely to meet Iga Swiatek in the third round. The two have never faced each other before, even though Serena was active during Swiatek’s early years on the tour. With Swiatek being the defending champion, she will be expected to come out on top, but Serena can cause a major upset.

If the 44-year-old clears all three rounds, she could face Jasmine Paolini in the fourth round of the tournament, another grueling match. The world No. 14 can provide a formidable challenge to Serena, but her dismal win-rate of 42.4% may give Serena the edge in this matchup.

If she makes it past Paolini, Serena could face either Elina Svitolina or Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinals. This will be another very tough matchup, as both Ukrainian players are in great form, especially Kostyuk, who had a superb clay swing.

While Serena has never faced Kostyuk before, Svitolina is a player she knows very well. The two have clashed on six occasions so far, with the American leading the H2H record 5-1. Serena’s most notable victory over Svitolina had come in the semifinals of the 2019 US Open, where she had triumphed 6-3, 6-1.

If Serena racks up a victory in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, she could be drawn against either Amanda Anisimova or Elena Rybakina in the last 4. The 23-time Grand Slam champion has played against both players. Although Serena had defeated Anisimova 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals of the 2020 ASB Classic, she suffered a 6-3, 7-5 defeat to Rybakina in the R16 of the 2021 French Open.

For the Wimbledon final, there are possibilities that Serena will be drawn against either Aryna Sabalenka or Jessica Pegula. The veteran has featured in a match against both players and has come out victorious on both occasions.

Serena had defeated Sabalenka 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in the R16 of the 2021 Australian Open. Meanwhile, her only victory over Pegula had come in the final of the 2020 ASB Classic, where she had triumphed 6-3, 6-4. Despite a better H2H record, Sabalenka and Pegula would likely be the favorites to win if they clash against Serena at Wimbledon.

While fans are very excited to see Serena back in singles action, there aren’t many expectations around her. This isn’t just because of her age, but also because she hasn’t played a singles match since making her return a few weeks ago.

Therefore, it isn’t a surprise that former ATP pro Greg Rusedski believes Serena is under-prepared for her return to the singles draw.

Greg Rusedski delivers a blunt verdict on Serena Williams’ singles comeback

“At 44 years of age its much more difficult,” he said on his podcast Off Court with Greg Rusedski. “You have to win seven matches in two weeks. She doesn’t even have a warm-up tournament. Doubles, to be quite frank, is not a singles warm-up; it’s totally different.”

While Rusedski stands by his words, he also believes that underestimating someone like Serena wouldn’t be a wise move on any player’s part.

“With Serena you never know what to expect. We knew about the wild card for doubles, but looking at her training at Wimbledon in the last week she seemed focused exclusively on singles. I can’t make predictions. But if she has trained for six months; it means that she is taking it very seriously,” he added.

Another factor that can hamper Serena’s singles challenge is her entry in the doubles draw. Both she and Venus Williams received wildcards for the women’s doubles event and will pair for the first time in 10 years at SW19.

It remains to be seen whether Serena can manage the workload of playing two events simultaneously after staying away from the sport for four years.