Serena Williams prepares for Wimbledon return with wildcard entry

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The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion who ‘evolved away’ from tennis shares why she’s back For two long weeks, since her return to the courts of a professional tennis tournament at the Queen’s Club, a clock was ticking in Serena Williams’s mind. She had already committed to making her comeback in doubles at 44 after four years away from the sport, but doubles only requires a player to cover half a court with the help of a partner. The real question was whether she would dare to put herself on the line again in singles against the best tennis players in the world. Williams’s decision to supercharge her comeback by taking a singles wildcard into Wimbledon, it turned out, was exactly as last minute as it appeared. She was only announced as the final wildcard for the women’s singles draw on Sunday 21 June, one day before the qualifying draw was made: “I had until Monday to decide. I think it was like Sunday. I just wasn’t sure up until then. Honestly, I’m still not even sure, but we’ll see,” Williams says, smiling, in her pre‑tournament press conference. Continue reading...

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Serena Williams gave Centre Court reason to dream but a winning return to grand slam tennis ultimately proved beyond her. Nearly four years after “evolving away” from the sport and having dithered until almost the last moment over whether to take a wild card, the 44-year-old entered the great arena to a standing ovation.