John McEnroe believes Serena Williams is backing herself to go all the way at Wimbledon as she prepares to make a sensational return to the singles court, aged 44. The 23-time Grand Slam champion “evolved away” from tennis at the 2022 US Open, losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in what many thought would be her final match. But the American superstar returned to doubles action earlier this month in Queen’s alongside Victoria Mboko. She also teamed up with Karolina Muchova in Berlin, and will now compete on the hallowed grass courts of the All England Club.
McEnroe: 'She thinks she can go all the way'
While McEnroe doesn’t know exactly why Williams has returned to competition, he believes she wouldn’t be here if she didn’t think she could win. “I guess the exciting part is we’re not sure. And it’s Serena Williams who’s like the GOAT, she’s one of the greatest athletes, man or woman, that’s ever played a sport. So the fact that she’s decided to come back after having a couple of kids and having not played for four years is rather surprising, I must admit,” the seven-time Grand Slam champion told a group of reporters ahead of Wimbledon.
“She’s got a lot, from what I understand, going on off the court and seemed to be perfectly content with what was happening. But apparently, this is for her to speak to. She speaks for this, she wants to play. I don’t think that she’s coming back just because she wants to play or match or two. That doesn’t sound like Serena Williams. So, I would guess that she’s coming in and she’s got like a purpose and thinks she can go well or go deep or go all the way.”
Williams' Wimbledon return: Doubles and singles wildcard
Williams, 44, initially received a women’s doubles wildcard alongside her older sister, Venus. But the seven-time Wimbledon champion also took a late wildcard into the singles draw, and will play her first singles match in almost four years against Aussie star Maya Joint on Tuesday. The tennis icon has herself said she has nothing to prove and doesn’t need to win, and also wanted to have the opportunity to compete in front of her children, Olympia, eight, and Adira, two.
McEnroe added: “It’s pretty amazing, but it certainly gives the tournament a shot in the arm. So I don’t think there’s a tennis fan around that isn’t excited about it. I’ve only saw her play like the first doubles match at Queen’s. They had [to give a walkover]. She looked like she was…she looked like Serena Williams in a way. But I haven’t seen her play. Obviously, I haven’t seen her practice, that is different than a match. So there’s a lot of anticipation on Tuesday when she plays.”
Could Williams eye the 2028 Olympics?
It’s not known whether Williams’ comeback is the start of something bigger, or will be limited to a few matches or tournaments. But BBC pundit McEnroe has questioned whether she is eyeing the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. He added: “That’s a good question that I don’t know the answer to. I don’t think she’s just thinking I’m going to come back and play a couple matches at Wimbledon, but I don’t know what’s in her head. Maybe she’s thinking longer term, like maybe I wanna play the Olympics with my sister. That’s a couple years from now. I don’t know. I mean, she’s 44.
“She’s gonna sort of blow everyone’s mind if she continues playing the next couple years. I don’t know what to make of it, to be honest. I’m not sure. And I’m not 100 per cent sure she knows. I can’t imagine that she would know all is mapped out the next couple years, but maybe she’s a step ahead of all of us. I don’t know.”
Williams: 'I'm really going to enjoy being out there'
For now, Williams’ focus will be on facing Joint on Tuesday – and on her doubles reunion with her sister. Ahead of her Wimbledon comeback, the former No. 1 said: “I think my feelings will be different. I think in general, my expectations are definitely different for the first time in my career. I feel like my feelings are just – not that I never enjoyed it before, or else I wouldn't be here today – but I feel like I'm really going to enjoy being out there.”
