Serena Williams‘ singles comeback at Wimbledon is a move only a GOAT can pull off, having not played competitive tennis for much of the last four years. Her last singles match was at the 2022 US Open, and since her comeback this month, she has played only two doubles matches. Her decision to play singles at a Slam has left many fans psyched, including former ATP No. 1 Andy Roddick, who gave his honest take on how he would orchestrate his hypothetical comeback.

“Serena, 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 Wimbledon”, said Roddick, on his podcast, Served with Andy Roddick. “I would have scheduled seven events. I would have started in the future in Branson, Missouri, next to a Chili’s at a public park, hoping no one saw me. Like if I had to, there’s a progression of things. Am I good enough? Am I there?”

“Like, imagine being in Serena’s brain where it’s like, ‘Oh no, 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.”

Making one’s singles comeback after four years is a bold move, and for someone like Williams, her results will be scrutinized to the hilt, with an early loss giving rise to potential clamors of going back to retirement and misusing wildcards.

Williams herself was publicly waffling on the decision as recently as last week in Berlin. “Do you think I’m ready for singles?” she asked a reporter, then turned to doubles partner Karolina Muchova to ask the same question. “I need to get to work,” she said in a separate exchange. When told there was still a wildcard spot open, she replied: “Oh my gosh, there are some left?” The All England Club held the final women’s singles wildcard spot open until Williams made up her mind, and on June 21, she accepted.

Even from Serena’s perspective, this comeback pattern is far different from her comeback since 2018, when she had to navigate health complications that stemmed from the pulmonary embolism she suffered while she gave birth in 2017. Back then, she did not jump straight into Grand Slam action, but rather eased her way back by playing in Indian Wells, Miami, and Strasbourg, before retiring in the fourth round at the French Open. However, the gradual buildup paid dividends as he reached the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open that year.

Tennis has seen a handful of successful comebacks after retirements, but none more so than Kim Clijsters, who had a dream comeback to the sport in 2009. She returned during the North American hard-court swing of 2009, where she played in Cincinnati and Canada, notching some impressive wins over Top-10 players, which laid the foundation for her US Open triumph. She went on to win two more Majors and also became the World No.1 in 2011.

However, Williams’s comeback in 2026 is unprecedented, as the American is in her 40s, whereas Clijsters was still in her 20s when  2009. In Williams’ own comeback in 2018, she had health complications, none of which are there this time, with the American having success in weight control by using GLP-1 medication. However, returning to grass was one of her best options, as she has said herself in recent interviews.

Serena Williams in 2026: Comeback So Far, Wimbledon Record, and Potential Wimbledon Opponent

Williams made her hugely anticipated return at Queens, where she won her first doubles match with Victoria Mboko alongside a seasoned pair of Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar Martinez. An unfortunate injury to Mboko during her singles run put a halt to the fairytale comeback for Williams. She next partnered up with Karolina Muchova in Berlin, losing to Routliffe and Giuliana Olmos. Williams looked the part in the two matches in terms of serving in excess of 100mph and is still showing sharp tennis skills, but a singles run will take something more.

Announcing her comeback earlier this month, Serena had said, “Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I’m excited to be back competing on one of the sport’s most iconic stages.” Using the word ‘meaningful’ might be a bit modest for Williams, who has won 7 Wimbledon titles and an Olympic gold medal on the surface. But a singles run after such a long time comes with its own set of challenges, the primary one being movement, as Serena will have to cover the court herself in a fast-paced modern game, something she was not required to do in doubles.

As Roddick pointed out in his video, the first-round opponent for Williams might be a mouth-watering prospect. Being a wildcard, the American might make her singles return against the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, or Elena Rybakina. Watching Williams back on Wimbledon grass will be a spectacle in itself, irrespective of the result, and she will also be in the doubles alongside Venus Williams.