
Imago
Image Courtesy: Imago

Imago
Image Courtesy: Imago
Serena Williams will add another chapter to an already remarkable Wimbledon career with her first appearance in the tournament after four years. She is set to take on Maya Joint in the first round. While there aren’t a lot of expectations around Serena this time, former WTA pro Annabel Croft feels that the 44-year-old is still capable of accomplishing big things on the surface she has dominated for years.
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“We have to remember that in the context of the history of the game, she (Serena) sits at 23 Grand Slam titles and Margaret Court in Grand Slams has one more,” she said on the BBC. “(Novak) Djokovic is tied with Margaret Court at 24, but maybe she feels that she can get to that and where better to do it than at Wimbledon where she has won 7 of them and on the grass courts, it’s a specialized surface, it’s a little bit different.”
Croft also pointed out that a player of Serena’s caliber can’t be underestimated simply because she hasn’t played the tournament for the last few years.
“And she knows how to play on grass even though she hasn’t done it for four years. I think she said it in an interview that you know, anything is possible, so that gave me an indication that she does really think with a champion’s mind that maybe she could win Wimbledon again,” she added.
‘She really does think with a champion’s mind that maybe she could win Wimbledon again’
Former tennis star Annabel Croft spoke to #BBCBreakfast about the return of twenty-three time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams at Wimbledon, after four years awayhttps://t.co/7wWXanQWsK pic.twitter.com/nb4uvlQwAM
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) June 30, 2026
A reason why Croft still has high hopes for Serena is because of her stunning record on grass and at Wimbledon. Having won the coveted SW19 on seven occasions, Serena has a win-loss record of 98-14 at the Grand Slam. On top of this, grass is her preferred surface, and she has a win-rate of approximately 87% on it.
Wimbledon is also a tournament where Serena has made successful comebacks in the past. After winning the title in 2010, the American cut her foot on glass and suffered pulmonary embolism. As a result, she remained out of action for almost a year until June of 2011. Though Serena did play Wimbledon that year, she suffered a fourth-round elimination to Marion Bartoli.
But Serena’s return to the tournament in 2012 would be nothing short of special. She went on to win the title for the fifth time by defeating Poland’s Agnieszka Radwańska in the final. The veteran will be aiming to make another strong comeback as she makes her much-awaited return to the Grand Slam.

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Tennis – WTA 500 – Berlin Open – Steffi Graf Stadium, Berlin, Germany – June 16, 2026REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
However, there are a few reasons why many believe that Serena won’t be able to make a deep run into the tournament. Firstly, she will also have to focus on the doubles draw as she has entered alongside her sister, Venus Williams. The two are scheduled to face the duo of Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio in the first round on Thursday. This will be the first time since 2016 that Serena will have to manage playing in two different draws at the same time.
On top of this, Serena has been handed a daunting draw in the singles event. If she does rack up a win over Joint, then she can potentially be up against Alexandra Eala in the second round. Things will only get difficult for the former World No. 1 if she reaches the third round, as a clash against defending champion Iga Swiatek can be on the cards.
Though Serena very well knows how to cope with the pressure of playing two draws at Wimbledon, it remains to be seen if she will be able to rewind the clock at the age of 44.
Written by
Edited by

Aatreyi Sarkar
