Serena Williams has reversed her retirement decision and entered the Wimbledon women's singles draw at age 44, marking her return to Grand Slam tennis after four years away. The American icon, who won eight of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles at the All England Club, will compete as a wildcard entry when the tournament begins on Monday.
Why Serena Williams Is Returning to Tennis
Williams, who stepped away from tennis to focus on family, joked that her comeback is because "it's summer" and "the kids aren't in school." However, former professional player Christopher Eubanks suggested deeper family motivations. "There's no changes to her legacy that will come as a result of this return. I don't see anyone changing their mind about where Serena Williams stands all-time," Eubanks told The Associated Press. "This is about more than just records. At this point, it's more about family. Not just playing in front of her daughters, but having her daughters sit there and watch her train every day and have to wake up and put in the long, hard yards and doing fitness and doing treatment. For her daughters to have to watch her be super disciplined, that has to be just as much of a factor."
Williams has already played two doubles warmup matches with her sister Venus and accepted wildcards for both the singles and doubles events.
Serena Williams' Net Worth and Business Ventures
Williams is one of the richest female athletes ever, with career earnings of $95 million from tennis prize money alone. Forbes estimates her personal net worth at about $350 million in 2026, a $50 million increase from the previous year. Her endorsement contracts include Nike, Gatorade, and Wilson, and she founded Serena Ventures in 2022 to invest in businesses built by women and ethnic minorities. She is part of the ownership group of the WNBA expansion team Toronto Tempo (founded 2026) and holds minority stakes in the UFC and the Miami Dolphins NFL franchise.
Family Life: Husband Alexis Ohanian and Children
Williams met tech entrepreneur and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in May 2015 at the Cavalieri Hotel in Rome during the Italian Open. They married in 2017 and have two daughters: Alexis Olympia (eight years old) and Adira River (almost three). Ohanian, 43, is a major investor in women's sports, including a stake in Chelsea Women's team bought in May 2025, where he sits on the board. He also helped grow the US National Women's Soccer League. Williams won the Australian Open in 2017 while eight weeks pregnant, and Ohanian revealed she "nearly died" during childbirth with Olympia. A hint of her return came when she posted a training video on Instagram with Adira helping with a resistance band, captioning: "Rumor has it…I got a new trainer."
