![\"44-year-old](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-132013219,imgsize-315895,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/cbv-27.jpg\" "\\"Serena")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nSerena Williams’ return to Wimbledon will begin with a first-round match against Australia’s Maya Joint, a player less than half her age, as the 44-year-old prepares for her first singles match in nearly four years.Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon singles champion, accepted a wild-card entry into the tournament. She will also play doubles alongside her older sister Venus Williams, who turned 46 last week.The comeback began with two doubles warm-up matches and moved to the next stage on Sunday when the All England Club confirmed that Serena would compete in the singles draw.Her first opponent will be 20-year-old Maya Joint, who is ranked No. 53 in the world. Joint made her Wimbledon debut last year, where she lost in the first round to Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-2.Williams has not played a singles match since losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the 2022 US Open. At the time, she said she did not want to use the word “retiring” and instead described herself as “evolving” away from tennis. She gave birth to her second daughter in 2023.Her last appearance at Wimbledon also came in 2022, when she lost in the opening round to Harmony Tan, who was ranked No. 115 at the time.In the men’s singles draw, world No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner is the top seed. Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed in the women’s singles. Wimbledon seedings follow the ATP and WTA rankings.Novak Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, is seeded seventh. Two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz, who lost to Sinner in the 2025 final, will miss this year’s tournament because of a wrist injury. Wimbledon begins on Monday. <\/div>\n<\/div>\n