Serena Williams will return to tennis at the Wimbledon women’s singles tournament on June 30th. Two days later, she will be on court again in a doubles match with sister Venus.
Almost four years since her last match, the 44-year-old 23-time Grand Slam champion has impressed her tennis colleagues.
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“First and foremost, what she’s doing is inspirational and it’s great. That’s what I told her,” said Novak Djokovic, himself a 24-time Grand Slam champion, including seven at Wimbledon. “I have always admired her career, her journey and her story, and of course Venus as well.
“It’s amazing that she took so many years off the tour and then came back with her two children and put in so much effort not just for her own satisfaction and return to the tour, but to give all of us the joy of seeing her back on the court.”
Williams, who earned a wild card into Wimbledon, will face Maya Joynt, a 20-year-old Australian who was born when Williams already won seven Grand Slam titles.
Djokovic said he sees Williams in the gym “more than I ever saw her in her prime” after her last appearance at the 2022 US Open, proof that she is fully committed to this return.
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“You can tell she really wants this to work out in the best way possible,” Djokovic said. “Honestly, her efforts are commendable. Of course there’s a lot of attention on her coming back. I just hope she enjoys it, because she really deserves it.”
Wimbledon’s fourth seed and fellow American Ben Shelton said it was “insanely impressive”, while top women’s seed Aryna Sabalenka, a three-time semi-finalist at the All England Club, said Williams’ return was a great thing for the sport.
“What she’s doing is amazing. And Serena Williams. Everyone was talking about it,” Sabalenka said. “She’s bringing even more attention to tennis, which is good for tennis. I’m really looking forward to watching her play.”
