Serena Williams takes Wimbledon singles wild card
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- Serena Williams accepted Wimbledon's final singles wild card on Sunday after earlier committing only to doubles with sister Venus, saying she told herself "Are you nuts? Like you really should do this" before deciding
- Williams faces 20-year-old Maya Joint on Centre Court Tuesday, her first Wimbledon singles match since a 2022 first-round loss to Harmony Tan; the 7-time Wimbledon champion said her "expectations are definitely different for the first time in my career"
- Williams has been off the tour since her 2022 US Open farewell, where she lost in the third round to Ajla Tomljanovic after walking away from the sport she described as "evolving" away
- Maya Joint slipped from No. 53 to No. 87 in the WTA rankings updated Sunday; she was born in Michigan and said Williams has "watched some of her videos"
- Tuesday's Centre Court slate opens with defending champion Iga Swiatek against Taylor Townsend at 1:30 PM local time, followed by Taylor Fritz vs. Jack Draper before the Williams-Joint night match
Why it matters: A 23-time Grand Slam champion returning to singles at 44 after a three-year absence is the kind of marquee moment the All England Club builds its opening day around, and Joint — ranked 87th and playing her first Centre Court match — draws the spotlight she could never earn from seeding alone. For Williams, the admission that her expectations have changed is the most candid she's been about this comeback being about moment rather than results.
