Everyone, remain calm. This is not a drill!
After a year away from the sport, the legendary Serena Williams is on the verge of a comeback. She took to Instagram to hint at her intent to compete at this year’s Wimbledon after earning a wild-card invite.
The oldest, and widely considered the most prestigious of the four Grand Slams (Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open, French Open) will begin qualifying on June 20. The Championships commencement begins on June 27th.
Williams currently owns 23 Grand Slam wins and seven Wimbledon titles (Singles). Her seven wins at Wimbledon are only two shy of tying Martina Navratilova’s nine titles for the most Wimbledon Singles Championships wins of any woman in the Open Era.
The stage awaits.
Our 7-time champion @serenawilliams will return to Wimbledon as a wild card this summer for her 21st appearance pic.twitter.com/7ddMAv7mOq
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 14, 2022
Williams will have her work cut out for her, though. The now 40-year-old tennis great hasn’t won at Wimbledon since 2016 and has gone nearly five years since last winning a Grand Slam (2017 Australian Open). Although, she finished as the runner-up at Wimbledon in both 2018 and 2019.
Are those semi-recent finishes too far in the rearview to make Williams worth wagering on? Or is she a safe bet given her decorated career?
She’ll open with +2000 odds at Tipico Sportsbook to win the event, ranking as the fifth-shortest amongst competing players.