Serena Williams confirms she WILL play at Wimbledon this summer

Serena Williams has confirmed she will play at the Wimbledon Championships in London this summer. 

The 40-year-old was subject to fierce speculation about her future when news emerged in April that she had split with her long-time coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who had been given permission to work with rival Simona Halep.

Williams quickly looked to shut down talk that she was therefore retiring and the 23-time Grand Slam champion went one step further on Tuesday by sharing a photo on Instagram of her trainers on a grass-court. 

The caption accompanying the photo read: ‘SW and SW19. It’s a date. 2022 See you there. Let’s. Go. #renasarmy’

Fans had grown concerned that they may not see her play until the US Open this summer after her name did not get included on the entry list.

But her ‘date’ remark on Instagram suggests she will be given a wildcard by the All England Club to make her eagerly-anticipated return.  

Her declaration that she will play in what will be her latest attempt to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Slam titles, arrives as a major boost given she has yet to play in 2022.

Former world No 1 Williams has not featured in competitive tennis since injuring her leg during the first round at Wimbledon last year, when she was beaten by Aliaksandra Sasnovich, forced to retire hurt after just six games. 

Williams has not played competitive tennis since she was reduced to tears having retired hurt at Wimbledon in 2021, just six games into a first round match with Aliaksandra Sasnovich

Williams has won seven singles titles at Wimbledon and there was increasing expectation that she would put her comeback in 2022 on hold until the tennis calendar swung round to the All England Club Slam.  

Speaking alongside Green Bay Packers quarter-back Aaron Rodgers at a Bitcoin conference in Miami in April, Williams attempted to assure fans she was still planning to feature at another big tournament. 

‘I am backstage at a Bitcoin conference in Miami with Aaron Rodgers here. We’ve been talking about my comeback and he’s been hyping me up and getting me ready for Wimbledon. Can’t wait!’ she said.

Rodgers joked he was Williams’ ‘hype man’, before pretending to be shocked by the news: ‘Wimbledon? What about the US Open?’

Williams replies: ‘Wimbledon is before the US Open! I have to play Wimbledon first!’

Williams silenced rumours she could retire after teasing a Wimbledon return alongside NFL star Aaron Rodgers (right) at a Bitcoin event back in April 

After entering her 40s, Williams has plenty of factors coming into play outside of tennis as she ponders her future. 

Williams – whose story is featured in the Oscar-winning film King Richard – gave birth to a baby daughter Alexis Olympia in 2017 and is married to Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, who she married in 2016.

Widely considered the greatest female tennis player of all time, her last Grand Slam came in 2017 at the Australian Open, just before she gave birth to Olympia. She has won the competition seven times.

She has also won Wimbledon seven times, the US Open six times and the French Open on three occasions. 

Williams is desperate to equal Court’s record of 24 Grand Slams having stumbled in her last four Major finals. 

She was beaten in the 2018 Wimbledon final by Angelique Kerber, lost the 2018 US Open final to Naomi Osaka, fell to defeat against Simona Halep in the 2019 Wimbledon final, before losing out to Bianca Andreescu at the 2019 US Open final.

In 2019, Williams (right) came runner-up to Simona Halep (left) at Wimbledon, with the Romanian now working with her long-time coach Patrick Mouratoglou

She is married to Reddit founder Alex Ohanian (left). The pair have a daughter together named Olympia, who was born in 2017. Pictured: The pair together at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party