The wait is over to discover whether Serena Williams will play singles at this year’s Wimbledon Championships after the All England Club revealed she has been handed the final singles wildcard – and now former British No 1 Greg Rusedski has given his verdict.
Williams has been teasing the prospect of playing her first singles match since her ‘retirement’ at the 2022 US Open, with her return to doubles action the Queen’s Club earlier this month her first tentative step back into the game.
Observers at Wimbledon in recent days have noted the 23-time Grand Slam champion has only been practicing singles action on the grass courts and now her intentions have been made clear with the All England Club making the wildcard announcement late on Sunday evening in the UK.
Williams has yet to speak about her decision to play singles at Wimbledon, but Rusedski is not surprised by the development after she saw the American legend on the practice courts at Wimbledon in recent days.
Rusedski is excited to see what Williams can achieve in one of the most audacious sporting comebacks of recent years, but he admits her challenge is huge as she returns to the sport after such a long break.
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“You never write off a great champion, but forty-four years of age, it’s much more difficult,” said Rusedski on his podcast.
“You have to win seven matches in two weeks at a Grand Slam. She doesn’t even have a warm-up tournament. Playing doubles, to be quite frank, is not a singles warm-up; it’s totally different.
“But let’s watch this space, let’s see what happens. It’s exciting news. It’s good for the WTA tour and it’s good for tennis globally. And what a place to start your comeback at the Wimbledon Championships.
“With Serena, you never know what’s gonna happen. We knew about the wild card and doubles, but from looking at the sessions I have seen from her at Wimbledon the past week, it looks singles, singles, and more singles focused.
“I can’t think of anything right now. But if she’s practiced for six months, she’s taking it seriously. Let’s see what happens. But one match at a time, I have no idea what to expect.”
Rusedski went on to assess why Williams has made a comeback, as he believes the American great will believe she can compete with the best in women’s tennis, but he admits there are big doubts over what she can achieve.
“She said at 44 years of age, she still has the hunger to get on court, to try to win tournaments, to do big things in our sport,” he added.
“And she wouldn’t be coming back just to make up the numbers. She looks in great shape. But the test will be is when she plays her first round match. How is she going to be? Who is she going to play? Can you imagine if she hit (Aryna) Sabalenka in the opening round, the world number one?
“All of a sudden, you’re bringing fans back into our sport because she is the biggest superstar in women’s tennis and a global icon for all sports.
“Everybody’s expectation is, you know, when an icon comes back, we want to see the icon in the same shape, the same serve, the same movement. For me, the question mark I have is: how’s her movement going to be?
“Because if her serve isn’t firing acan she actually defend in the corners? And that’s something you’re gonna have to do because she’s been away for four years.
“The players have gotten physically stronger, they’re moving better, and so forth. So it’s trying to find that balance and see what happens out there. I’m excited about the news. Can’t wait to see her player opening round and can’t wait for the draw to come out to see who she plays.”
