The 2026 Wimbledon Championships officially commenced on Monday, June 29, at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London.
Thousands of fans gathered to witness the historic returns of Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Novak Djokovic to the grass-court Grand Slam.
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Serena Williams Returns to Singles
Serena Williams, 44, is making her return to professional tennis after nearly four years away.
She accepted a singles wild card invitation and will also partner with her sister Venus, 46, in the doubles tournament.
She is scheduled to play her opening singles match on Centre Court on Tuesday against 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Serena detailed the internal deliberations that led her to accept the singles wild card.
"I thought I should really take this opportunity. Who knows if I’ll ever make it here again.
This could be it," she said.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion admitted she experienced self-doubt before confirming her decision. "I was like, ‘What’s wrong with me, Serena?
What are you thinking? Are you nuts?
Like you really should do this,’" she said.
She elaborated on the privilege of competing at the highest level. "People live to be an athlete.
I have this great opportunity to showcase what I do, what I do best, I suppose.
Yeah, I think ultimately I was like that is pretty cool, so I should do it," said Serena.
Reflecting on her return, she noted that her expectations are different this time.
