After all, Serena Williams will be playing at Wimbledon this year. On Tuesday, the All England Club announced that Williams received a wild-card entry to singles.
Williams hasn't competed since she was injured in the first round of her match at the All England Club last year. Williams' name was not included on the entry list for the women's singles at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament earlier in the month.
Williams was one of six women who were given a place in Tuesday's singles draw along with five British players: Jodie Burrage (Katie Boulter), Sonay Kartal and Yuriko Miyazaki, and Katie Swan.
The All England Club announced that invitations will be sent to two other women "in due course".
Seventeen of the eight wild-card berths for men were also announced, one for Stan Wawrinka, a three-time major champion.
Williams shared a photo earlier in the day of her white shoes on a grass court with the message "SW and SW19." It's a date. 2022. We'll see you there. Let's Go."
"SW" and "SW19", are her initials.
The American 40-year old has won seven of the 23 major singles titles at Wimbledon that she holds as the Open era record, and most recently in 2016.
Williams finished second in both 2018 and 2019. The tournament was cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Williams fell on the slick grass in 2021 and her right leg buckled. This resulted in Williams' only mid-match retirement at any Grand Slam event since 1998.
