Serena Williams has admitted she left it almost as late as possible to confirm her involvement in this year's Wimbledon women's singles and still isn't certain it was the right call. The seven-time champion is due to return to the All England Club after a four-year absence, having 'evolved away' from tennis after the 2022 US Open. She has accepted a wildcard to the women's singles draw - 10 years after last winning the title at SW19 - and will also play doubles with older sister Venus.
Last-Minute Decision
'I think I had until Monday to decide. I think it was like Sunday [that I decided to play],' the 44-year-old said. 'I just wasn't sure up until then. Honestly, I'm still not even sure, but we'll see,' she added, offering up a smile.
Reflecting more on the doubts, she said: 'I thought not every day Wimbledon holds a wild card for someone. I can name probably like a handful of people. I happened to be one of those people. I thought I should really take this opportunity. Who knows if I'll ever make it here again. This could be it. I was like, What's wrong with me, Serena? What are you thinking? Are you nuts? Like you really should do this. 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.'
First-Round Opponent
Williams will take on 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint in the opening round. She has had some time to get used to being back out on court already, though, having played doubles at Queen's earlier this year.
'I think being in Queen's in particular, because it was in London,' she said. 'I was, like, Oh, this is real, like I'm actually playing again. So for here (Wimbledon), it was more like, Okay, I've been doing this for a couple of weeks. It was kind of like riding a bike. I didn't feel a ton of stuff yet. Obviously when I play, I might have a lot of things come up. But yeah...'
Surprise Return
However, the return came as a bit of a surprise for her as well, considering how she felt in 2022. 'I never thought I'd be back here sitting in front of this,' the American added, before when addressing her time away from the sport. 'We all know how I feel about this,' she said. 'So I never thought I would do this again. Yeah, all the above. When I revolved or evolved, I had never thought I'd come back.'
Djokovic's Praise
On Saturday, seven-time Wimbledon men's singles champion Novak Djokovic praised Williams ahead of her return. 'Look, first and foremost, what she's doing is inspirational and it's epic,' he said. 'That's what I told her. I always admired her career, her journey, her story. Of course, Venus', as well. For her to come back after years of being absent from the tour, two children later, and to give so much effort to, not just for her own satisfaction or coming back on the tour, but also to give all of us a pleasure of seeing her back on the court - in singles as well as doubles - is remarkable. I told her that whatever happens, what she's doing is truly inspirational for me personally, I'm sure for millions around the world. I see her in the gym more than I have, I think, seen her when she was at her prime. It tells me that she really wants this to work out the best way possible. It's admirable, honestly, the effort she's putting in. Of course, all eyes are on her, her comeback. I just hope that she will enjoy because she really deserves. She created something historical, legendary in her career. She deserves every applause she's going to get.'
