Serena Williams is set to make her singles comeback at Wimbledon against Maya Joint in the first round. The American, a seven-time champion at the All England Club, received a wildcard entry to restart her singles career. Williams has not competed in singles since the US Open in 2022.
Maya Joint, 20, is ranked 53rd in the world and experienced a first-round exit in her Wimbledon main-draw debut last year. She has won only one of her last 14 matches. Williams’ return to singles action has generated considerable interest, especially given her status as a 23-time singles Grand Slam champion.
The draw ceremony revealed that Williams could potentially face 29th seed Alexandra Eala in the second round, with a possible third-round encounter against reigning women’s champion Iga Swiatek. Williams has been preparing for her return by playing doubles matches earlier this month and is also scheduled to compete in the Wimbledon doubles event alongside her sister, Venus Williams, who is 46 years old.
Men’s and Women’s Singles Draws
In the men’s singles draw, Britain’s Jack Draper faces a challenging first-round match against American sixth seed Taylor Fritz. Draper is making his return after a series of injury issues and has reached the semi-finals at Eastbourne in his first tournament since April. His coaching team now includes Andy Murray.
Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic will begin his campaign for a 25th Grand Slam title against China’s Wu Yibing. World number one Jannik Sinner, who exited the French Open in the second round, will start his title defense against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic. However, Carlos Alcaraz will not be participating in the tournament due to a wrist injury.
For the women’s singles, defending champion Iga Swiatek will start her title defense against American Taylor Townsend. British number one Emma Raducanu, seeded 30th, is scheduled to play Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic, though concerns about a shin injury have been noted after she missed practice on Thursday. Raducanu could potentially meet top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the third round, mirroring their match at Wimbledon last year.
Other notable first-round matches in the women’s singles include Aryna Sabalenka against Teodora Kostovic, Jessica Pegula facing Darja Vidmanova, Magda Linette playing Mirra Andreeva, Tamara Korpatsch against Coco Gauff, and Lois Boisson taking on Elena Rybakina.
In the men’s singles, key first-round matchups include Casper Ruud versus Hubert Hurkacz, Marin Cilic against Daniil Medvedev, Roberto Bautista Agut playing Joao Fonseca, Stan Wawrinka facing Matteo Berrettini, and Alexander Blockx competing against Alexander Zverev.
British Contingent and Tournament Outlook
A significant British contingent is participating in the singles draws, with many receiving wildcards from the All England Club. Cameron Norrie, seeded 26th, is the highest-ranked Briton and will start against American qualifier Michael Zheng. Norrie could potentially face Canadian third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round. Emma Raducanu is the only other seeded British player.
Katie Boulter, Francesca Jones, and Jan Choinski also secured their spots through their rankings. Twelve Britons received wildcards, comprising six men and six women. Three players, Ollie Tarvet, Billy Harris, and Max Basing, successfully qualified through the preliminary rounds, marking the highest number of home players to qualify since 1999.
The tournament runs from June 29 to July 12 at the All England Club.
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Source: bbc.com
Priya Nair
Sports Reporter
