Serena Williams will open her Wimbledon comeback against 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia, a matchup that instantly frames the scale of her return. The seven-time champion is back for her first singles match in nearly four years, and www.espn.com reports that the opening-round draw gives her a player less than half her age.
Williams, who is 44, accepted a wild-card entry to the grass-court Grand Slam and is also set to play doubles with her older sister Venus Williams. Venus turned 46 last week, making the sisters’ return one of the most striking stories of the tournament before a ball is even struck.
A comeback that moved quickly
The singles announcement came after two doubles warmup matches, but the pace of the return accelerated on Sunday when the All England Club confirmed Serena would also play singles. Her most recent singles match came at the 2022 US Open, where she lost in the third round to Ajla Tomljanovic.
At that time, Williams said she did not want to use the word “retiring” and instead said she was “evolving” away from tennis. Her second daughter was born in 2023, adding another long break between competitive singles appearances.
What the draw means for Williams
Joint is ranked No. 53 and made her Wimbledon debut last year, when she lost in the first round to Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-2. If Williams gets through Tuesday’s opener, she could face rising Filipino star Alexandra Eala, the 29th seed, in the second round.
From there, a possible third-round matchup with defending champion Iga Swiatek would loom, after Swiatek opens against Taylor Townsend of the United States on Centre Court on Tuesday. In the projected quarterfinals by seedings, Swiatek would meet Elina Svitolina.
Other top names in the women’s and men’s draws
The projected women’s quarterfinals also include No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka against French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, No. 2 Elena Rybakina against 2025 runner-up Amanda Anisimova, and No. 4 Jessica Pegula against Coco Gauff. Those matchups underline how quickly the draw could turn difficult for any player still standing by the second week.
On the men’s side, No. 1 Jannik Sinner will begin his title defense against Miomir Kecmanovic on Centre Court on Monday. Novak Djokovic, a seven-time champion at the All England Club, is the No. 7 seed and will play Wu Yibing of China, with a possible quarterfinal meeting against third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz, who lost to Sinner in the 2025 final, will miss this year’s tournament because of a wrist injury. Wimbledon begins Monday, and Serena’s opening match has already become one of its most closely watched first-round fixtures.