Serena Williams returns to Centre Court for first Wimbledon singles match in four years
The Mt Kenya Times 
Serena Williams
The 23-time Grand Slam champion faces Australia’s Maya Joint on Tuesday, reigniting a love affair with the sport’s most storied grass-court stage
By Norman Mwale
Serena Williams will walk back onto Centre Court on Tuesday for her first Wimbledon singles match in four years, facing Australia’s Maya Joint in the first round of the women’s singles draw — a moment that has given the entire Championships a charge of electricity.
Williams, 44, accepted a wildcard for both the singles and women’s doubles competitions at the All England Club, her return to singles confirmed by organisers on 21 June after she spent several weeks weighing the decision. She had been away from the sport since her farewell at the 2022 US Open, where she lost in the third round to compatriot Ajla Tomljanovic. Her most recent appearance at Wimbledon itself was that same year, when she lost in the opening round to Harmony Tan, who was then ranked 115th in the world.
The road back began quietly enough. Williams teamed up with 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club, winning her first professional match in four years in the first round of the women’s doubles event. Their run ended when Mboko withdrew from the tournament with a knee injury, sustained when she slipped on the grass during her singles match. Williams continued her comeback tour, heading to the Berlin Open to resume doubles alongside Karolina Muchova.
At the All England Club, organisers subsequently awarded her a wildcard for the women’s doubles with sister Venus, marking their first joint appearance at SW19 since 2016. The singles wildcard followed, filling the last available spot in the women’s draw.
The All England Club made clear it was delighted to have her back. Chief Executive Sally Bolton said the excitement around Williams’ return had created “a fantastic buzz” for the sport. Chair Debbie Jevans added that the wildcard committee “won’t ignore her success at Wimbledon” when making its decisions. Williams herself struck a measured note about her ambitions. As recently as after her doubles exit in Berlin, she appeared to be weighing the decision carefully, musing about her readiness when told a wildcard spot remained open. At Queen’s Club, she told reporters that a singles return was “not my journey right now” — a position she ultimately reversed.
Tuesday’s order of play on Centre Court places Williams third on the schedule. Defending champion Iga Swiatek opens play against Taylor Townsend, in keeping with tradition, before Taylor Fritz and home favourite Jack Draper meet in one of the most intriguing men’s first-round matchups. Williams and Joint follow.
Joint, who was born in Michigan as Williams was, represents Australia through her father. She is ranked 53rd in the world and arrives at the All England Club in reasonable form despite a 2026 season disrupted by a lower-back injury. She won two WTA titles in 2025 — at Rabat and Eastbourne — which helped her rise to a career-high ranking of 32 and made her the top-ranked Australian by the end of last season. Joint said she had always hoped for a moment like this. “I never thought I’d get the opportunity to play against her, because she had stopped playing when I first got on tour,” she said.
Williams won her first Wimbledon singles title in 2002 and her most recent in 2016, with further victories in 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2015 along the way. She and Venus have won six ladies’ doubles titles at the Championships, the first in 2000 and the most recent in 2016.
Whether a seventh singles title is within reach over the next fortnight, nobody yet knows. What is already certain is that Centre Court has its champion back — and the grass, as Williams once put it herself, holds some of the most meaningful moments of her career.
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