Serena Williams is set to feature in singles at Wimbledon for the first time since 2022 at this year’s edition of the tournament.
Williams, 44, made her astonishing comeback to professional tennis at Queen’s, where she played doubles alongside 19-year-old Victoria Mboko.
The American legend then appeared at the Berlin Open with Karolina Muchova, and will now play both singles and doubles at the All England Club.
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While she has had some doubles preparation for the Championships, Williams has not played any singles matches leading into the third major of the season.
But former Puerto Rican player Monica Puig thinks one shot in the 23-time Grand Slam champion’s game can get her far in the tournament, despite the lack of matchplay.
Monica Puig previews Serena Williams return to singles action
“If she’s coming back, it’s for a reason, because she feels fit to play,” said Puig in an interview with Sky Sports.
“She’s not going to take a wild card if she doesn’t feel 100 per cent fit, and we know grass can be a very tricky surface to get used to, and you need to feel physically fit in order to do so, so for her taking the chance, it’s because she feels comfortable and confident, and she’s ready.
“She’s going to go in with a nothing-to-lose mentality, and that might help her, or she might go in with a champions mentality where she’s saying, ‘I’m in it to win it,’ so that really depends on her, but she has to take it day by day.
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“She will want to rely on making a lot of free points if she can. Her serve can get her out of a lot of trouble.
“Grass in particular is a surface that is mentally very exhausting because things happen so quickly and there can be changes in momentum.
“So long as she can keep the points short, I know she likes to make her way into the net as well, she feels very confident there and has great doubles success, and she’s a very intimidating opponent.”
Where Serena Williams’ Wimbledon tally ranks all-time
Williams clinched her first Wimbledon title back in 2002, beating her sister, Venus, in the final, who was the then-two-time defending champion.
She went back-to-back in 2003, before going on to win the tournament five more times, the last of which came in 2016.
Williams’ tally of seven Wimbledon singles titles ranks joint-second all-time, tied with Steffi Graf and Dorothea Lambert Chambers.
Leading them is Helen Wills Moody with eight crowns, and the outright leader, Martina Navratilova, who captured a record nine Wimbledon titles during her illustrious career.
Venus, who is also still active on the WTA Tour, has won five Wimbledon titles, with her last triumph coming in 2008.
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