The All England Club announced on Monday that Serena Williams had been given a wildcard invitation to Wimbledon this year. Her first professional singles performance after last year’s tournament, when opposite Aliaksandra Sasnovich, will be at this event.
Serena Williams has been confirmed for Wimbledon 2022
Wimbledon’s news came just a day following Williams sparked a frenzy within tennis fans by all but announcing her presence in the event via an Instagram post on Tuesday.
“SW and SW19, respectively.” It’s the big day. 2022 “I hope to see you there,” she added. The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) revealed on Monday that Williams will compete one tournament before SW19, the WTA 500 event at Eastbourne, held a week before Wimbledon, where she has accepted a wildcard to play doubles with World No. 4 Ons Jabeur.
“I’m looking forward to returning to the Rothesay International event in England and going to get back on the grass — a surface that’s been so kind for me during my career.” “Eastbourne has a special charm that you don’t see anyplace else on Tour, and I’m excited to play in front of the fans again,” Williams said, according to the LTA website. The American has only competed in the event twice previously, in 1998 and 2011.
Williams has dropped to World No. 1208 now, would have received direct entry to the women’s singles main draw at SW19 this year due to her Protected Ranking (PR), which is awarded to players who have been wounded for 6 months or more, if she had been on the team list in time for the time limit.
There are no ranking points available at the All England Club this year, thus Williams is guaranteed to slip out of the rankings following dropping the 10 points she earned from her first-round defeat at the tournament last year. But there’s a much more at risk for the 40-year-old.
Williams has earned numerous Grand Slam singles championships, placing her second all-time, one behind Margaret Court’s total of 24. Wimbledon may be a distant shot for her after recovering from a lengthy layoff, however if she is to achieve a filled comeback on tour, she may be aiming for the US Open in August to tie Court’s milestone.