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Serena Williams receives Wimbledon singles wild card and will play doubles at Eastbourne on injury return

Serena Williams set to make her comeback at Eastbourne next week and then Wimbledon; the seven-time champion at the All England Club posted on Instagram: "SW and SW19. It's a date. 2022 See you there"

Serena Williams of the US plays Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus for the women's singles first round match on day two of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday June 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Image: Serena Williams will make her comeback at Eastbourne and then Wimbledon this summer

Serena Williams will play doubles at the Rothesay International Eastbourne next week, while the 23-time Grand Slam champion has also been handed a Wimbledon singles wild card.

The 40-year-old made a tearful exit in the first round of Wimbledon 12 months ago after retiring during the first set due to a leg injury and doubts have been growing about whether she would return.

But on Tuesday Williams posted on Instagram: "SW and SW19. It's a date. 2022 See you there."

Serena Williams of United States reacts during the Ladies' singles first round against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus in the Championships, Wimbledon at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, United Kingdom on June 29, 2021.    ( The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images )
Image: Williams has not played since picking up an injury during her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich at Wimbledon last year

After tagging Eastbourne in her post, organisers later announced she will pair up with Tunisia's world No 4 Ons Jabeur for the doubles event.

Williams, now ranked a lowly 1,208, has also been handed a singles wild card for Wimbledon, which begins on Monday, June 27.

The initial batch of wild cards for singles and doubles was announced on Tuesday with Williams joining a whole host of Brits on the list, including Katie Boulter and Jodie Burrage, as well as three-time Grand Slam champion, Stan Wawrinka, who has returned from a long-term foot injury this season.

After her long-time coach Patrick Mouratoglou revealed in April he had taken on a new role with Simona Halep, suspicions that she had effectively retired grew, not least because the American was focused on her business ventures and life as a mother to four-year-old daughter Olympia.

Also See:

Serena Williams' singles triumphs at Wimbledon


W vs Venus Williams, 2002

W vs Venus Williams, 2003

W vs Venus Williams, 2009

W vs Vera Zvonareva, 2010

W vs Agnieszka Radwanska, 2012

W vs Garbine Muguruza, 2015

W vs Angelique Kerber, 2016

Wimbledon is widely considered Williams' best chance of claiming a 24th Grand Slam singles crown to equal Margaret Court's all-time record.

She has twice reached the final since returning from maternity leave in 2018, losing to Angelique Kerber that summer and Halep the following year.

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