Serena Returns to Wimbledon With Venus After Wildcard Surprise

Serena Williams will come back to the grass courts of Wimbledon, teaming up with her sister Venus after a four‑year break. The All England Club handed the pair a doubles wildcard on Tuesday, giving fans a new twist to watch this year’s tournament. Serena has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, seven of them at Wimbledon, and she and Venus have claimed six doubles crowns together in the past. Earlier this month, Serena tried to get back into competition at the Queen’s Club Championships, playing doubles with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko. That match ended abruptly when Mboko injured her knee and could not travel to Wimbledon. She is now preparing for the start of the grass‑court season on June 29, playing a doubles match in Berlin with Karolina Muchova. Her last Wimbledon appearance was in 2022, when she also needed a wildcard and fell to Harmony Tan in the opening round.Wildcards are special entries for players who don’t qualify by ranking, often given to high‑profile athletes returning from injury or local favorites. Serena’s return was expected after she stepped away from tennis in 2022 to focus on other projects, and the wildcard helped her re‑enter the tournament. On the men’s side, wildcards were granted to former champions like Stan Wawrinka, who will retire after the season, and Grigor Dimitrov, a former Wimbledon semi‑finalist. Organisers still have two more spots to fill, with players such as Matteo Berrettini, Dan Evans, Nick Kyrgios and Gael Monfils in the mix. In women’s singles, Maja Chwalinska of Poland received a wildcard, and another spot is still pending. A second group of wildcards will be announced later this week. British duo Katie Boulter and Heather Watson also received a doubles wildcard, adding more local excitement to the event.