American superstar Serena Williams will make her highly-anticipated singles comeback at Wimbledon against Australian world number 53 Maya Joint in the first round.
Williams, who is a seven-time women’s champion at the All England Club, has been given a wildcard to restart her singles career at the age of 44, having not played competitively since the US Open in 2022.
British number one Emma Raducanu, seeded 30th, is set to start against Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic, but there are concerns over her fitness after she did not practise on Thursday because of a shin injury.
Raducanu could face top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the third round – just as she did at Wimbledon last year.
Reigning champion Iga Swiatek will begin the defence of her crown against American Taylor Townsend.
During the 25-minute women’s draw ceremony at the All England Club, the wait for the appearance of one name – and its placing – brought a sense of anticipation like none of the other 127.
Williams popped up midway through the draw, in an intriguing section which also features Swiatek.
Ever since 23-time singles Grand Slam champion Williams finally confirmed she was going to return to singles action, there was deep intrigue about what sort of challenge she would face.
As a wildcard entry, Williams could have been drawn against one of the world’s leading players – such as top seed Aryna Sabalenka or Swiatek – or a lower-ranked player outside of the top 100 who had to fight their way through qualifying.
Facing 20-year-old Joint is a match which looks eminently winnable.
Joint lost in the first round on her Wimbledon main-draw debut last year and has won just one of her past 14 matches.
Williams is used to being the centre of attention wherever she goes and it will be no exception when she returns on Tuesday – presumably on Centre Court.
If Williams comes through that match she could face 29th seed Alexandra Eala of the Philippines next, with the possibility of playing Swiatek in the third round.
More to follow.
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