Serena to play at Wimbledon

LONDON. − Serena Williams has indicated she will play at this year’s Wimbledon in what would be her first match for 12 months.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion has not played since injuring her leg in the first round of last year’s tournament.

American Williams, 40, has won seven Wimbledon singles titles but is currently ranked 1,208.

Wimbledon begins on 27 June. Williams also tagged Eastbourne − where there is a WTA event in the week before Wimbledon − in the social media post. She won the last of her seven Wimbledon singles titles in 2016, but reached the final in 2018 and 2019 after returning from maternity leave. She has won the doubles title with elder sister Venus six times and paired up with Andy Murray in the mixed event in 2019.

Williams could have entered Wimbledon using a protected ranking reserved for players who have been sidelined through a long-term injury but did not do so, meaning she would need a wildcard to play. The initial batch of wildcards for singles and doubles could be announced on Tuesday.

Neither Williams sister was on the Wimbledon entry list when it was released last week. Williams first played in the singles event at Wimbledon as a 16-year-old in 1998 and has only missed the tournament three times since, including when pregnant with daughter Olympia in 2017. She reached the 2018 final, where she lost to Angelique Kerber, in just her fourth tournament since giving birth. − BBC Sport.