Serena Williams will play her first singles match since the 2022 US Open at Wimbledon this summer.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion has received a wild card into the 2026 Wimbledon women’s singles main draw.
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Reacting to the news, former Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick shared his thoughts.
Andy Roddick doesn’t think Aryna Sabalenka will want to play Serena Williams at Wimbledon
During the latest episode of ‘Served with Andy Roddick‘, the 2003 US Open champion delivered his verdict on Williams’ decision to return at Wimbledon.
“Not having played a singles match in years, like a lot of years, and saying, you know what, ‘I think my first, dipping my toes back in is going to be at Wimbledon…’ I would have scheduled seven events,” said Roddick.
“I would have started in a future [tournament] in Branson, Missouri, next to a Chili’s at a public park, hoping no one saw me.
“Imagine being in Serena’s brain, where it’s like, ‘It’s going to be Wimbledon, I’m good enough, I can handle this, no problem.’
“That’s levels of confidence that I didn’t have for 12 seconds of my existence in my entire life.”
Roddick then looked ahead to Williams’ first-round match and who she could play.
“She comes back; she’s a wild card, so she has as much of a chance as anyone else on earth of playing like [Aryna] Sabalenka, first round,” said Roddick.
“I thought about it from the other side, if you’re Sabalenka, and you play Serena, who hasn’t played in four years, she comes out and gets three or four holds…
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“There is no upside if you’re Sabalenka playing Serena, zero.”
Aryna Sabalenka is the world number one and one of the big favourites to win Wimbledon this year.
But even though the experience of playing Williams at Wimbledon would be memorable, the Belarusian would likely prefer a more straightforward first-round opponent.
Roddick continued, delivering his final thoughts on Williams’ remarkable return.
“It’s going to be rocking either way,” he said.
“Imagine [Michael] Jordan coming back, but the only thing he had played was a 3-on-3 pickup game a couple of times.
“Like, imagine if there were no teammates to say, ‘he’s looked great in practice’.
“She was serving 120+ in the doubles match, so if she finds some rhythm, that’s good enough speed.
Serena Williams’ record since returning (1-1)
- Queen’s 1R (with Victoria Mboko) [WIN] vs Erin Routliffe/Nicole Melichar-Martinez, 7-6, 6-2
- Berlin Open 1R (with Karolina Muchova) [LOSS] vs Erin Routliffe/Giuliana Olmos, 4-6, 4-6
“The service motion is never going to go away; she can repeat that until the day she dies.
“It’s all going to be movement, and does the ball still come off the racket the same.
“We’re going to be analysing in real time; she’s going to get out of her first corner, and we’re all going to overreact, then she’s not going to get to something, and we’re all going to overreact.
“Imagine she comes out, imagine social media, if she comes out and gets on one in the first 25 minutes, everything is going to fall apart!”
Williams will undoubtedly be the player to watch in the first week of Wimbledon this year.
Not just in singles, but in doubles as well…
Serena Williams will play doubles with Venus Williams at Wimbledon
Williams may struggle to make a deep run in the singles competition, but she is far more likely to win matches in doubles.
Playing alongside her sister, Venus Williams, she may even have her eyes on a 15th Grand Slam doubles title.
Her older sister, now 46, reached the quarter-finals of the US Open doubles event alongside Leylah Fernandez last year and has looked competitive when partnered with the right player.
The Williams sisters are one of the most successful doubles teams of all time, winning 14 titles together, including six at Wimbledon.
They will begin their assault on title number 15 when the event begins on Monday, June 29.
