Serena Williams has reportedly requested a doubles wild card at a pre-Wimbledon event in just 10 days’ time, with Andy Roddick predicting the tennis legend will also return to singles action at SW19
Serena Williams retired in 2022(Image: Getty Images)
Serena Williams has requested a doubles wild card to compete alongside 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko at Queen’s Club in 10 days’ time. A comeback would see the tennis icon step back onto court four years after hanging up her racket, having captured 23 Grand Slam titles.
The 44-year-old re-entered the anti-doping testing pool last August and has fulfilled a compulsory six-month period within it, enabling her to be eligible to compete. Now, she is reported to have sought a wild card into the pre-Wimbledon tournament.
While for now, Williams’ intentions appear not to involve singles competition, Andy Roddick reckons the Wimbledon great will make her way back to SW19 to play individual matches. He suspects the Grand Slam represents her strongest opportunity of recapturing past glory.
Speaking on his podcast on Wednesday, Roddick said: “I don’t think as soon as you re-enter doping protocols (…) Maybe you don’t know if you’re coming back or not, but at the very least you’re thinking really hard about it.
“And I know this isn’t a pragmatic decision; I’m sure there’s emotion. I’m sure there’s the champion’s mentality, ego, and like ‘what if’, and all of this stuff. If you enter doping protocols, you’re looking to come back, or at least you’re looking at the option to come back.
“If you do that and you’re Serena Williams, I’ve got to think: is she going to be faster than when she left? I don’t know. I mean, she looks in fantastic shape. And I think you could say her best chance of lightning in a bottle in this comeback is that it’s on grass at Wimbledon.
“I think we’re going to see her play singles. And I do think the only thing that is a little bit of a doubles-motivated thing, as her sister (Venus) is also not retired yet… Would you do it for your sister, for one last run at the US Open or something like that? Yes, and I said that eight months ago. So, that’s the only caveat.
“I don’t think she plays only doubles at Wimbledon. I think she’s going to play singles, but I think there’s a half a chance she plays singles before that.
“I just don’t see, at this point in her life where she’s in her 40s coming back… How many shots in the basket are you going to have on your best surface in singles again, if that’s your intent? I don’t think she can skip Wimbledon this year in singles. I think if you’re going to come back, I think you got to go.”
“At this point, I’d be more surprised if she didn’t come back just to put a bow on it. I think we’re going to see her play professional tennis. I will put it in my veins. I want Serena back on the tennis court. That would be unbelievable. I hope it happens!”
Following her tearful farewell at the US Open in 2022, Williams confessed that stepping away from the game was no easy feat. In a piece written for Vogue, she revealed she wasn’t ready for her career to end, yet felt compelled to dedicate her energy to her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, and to expand her family.
“There is no happiness in this topic for me. I know it’s not the usual thing to say, but I feel a great deal of pain. It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I hate it. I hate that I have to be at this crossroads.
“I keep saying to myself, I wish it could be easy for me, but it’s not. I’m torn: I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next.”
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