Serena Williams to make Wimbledon comeback; receives singles wild card

Tennis star Serena Williams will return to Wimbledon after a 12-month long break since her last competitive appearance, the tournament organisers confirmed on Tuesday.

The former world number has received a wild card for the singles main draw of the grass-court Grand Slam event. The Wimbledon main draw starts on Monday.

"The stage awaits.Our 7-time champion @serenawilliams will return to Wimbledon as a wild card this summer for her 21st appearance," said Wimbledon in a tweet.

The star player also took to social media to inform about the development.

"SW and SW19, It's a date. 2022. See you there," Williams wrote on Instagram alongside a picture of a pair of trainers on grass to announce her comeback.

To date, the American has won seven singles titles at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club. However, the 40-year-old has not played since injuring her leg in the opening round of last year. She is currently ranked number 1,208 and was not featured on the original entry list for the grand slam.

Ahead of her return to Wimbledon, Williams will kick off her 2022 season with an appearance at the LTA Rothesay International Competition in Eastbourne next week. She will pair up with Tunisia's Ons Jabeur in the doubles event.

Notably, Williams has particularly excelled at Wimbledon since her tournament debut in 1998, where she immediately won the mixed doubles title alongside Max Mirnyi.

The long-time former World No.1's most recent Wimbledon singles title came in 2016 when she defeated Angelique Kerber for her staggering seventh singles crown at SW19. Recently, she has been a Wimbledon singles finalist in 2018 and 2019 as well.

Williams's Wimbledon prowess also extends to women's doubles. She and sister Venus are 6-0 in Wimbledon women's doubles finals.

--IANS

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