Serena Williams will take part in Wimbledon this year, receiving the eighth and final wild card in the women's singles.
After a nearly four-year hiatus from singles competition, Serena returns to the court in what many considered the end of her career, with her previously joking that she was "tired of sitting at home.".
A few weeks ago, the tennis legend also caused controversy online by introducing his new team using trading cards that appeared to be generated by artificial intelligence.
Serena Williams received a wild card to the Wimbledon singles tournament.
Serena Williams delighted fans with her spectacular return to the doubles court earlier this month, but the situation has now escalated to the point where she will also return to singles.
The All England Tennis Club announced on Sunday that the seven-time Wimbledon champion will receive the eighth and final women's singles wild card for the 2026 Wimbledon Championships, which begin on June 29.
According to ESPN, the invitation marks the 44-year-old sports star's impressive return to Grand Slam singles tournaments after a nearly four-year hiatus from professional tennis.
This also means that Serena will compete in both singles and doubles, as she has already received a wild card for the doubles competition along with her older sister, Venus Williams.
Questions remain about Serena's readiness for singles matches.
Last week, Serena stunned many by winning the doubles match with her partner, Victoria Mboko, at Queen's Club. However, the pair later had to withdraw from the tournament after Mboko suffered a knee injury in her singles match.
Last week, Serena played in Berlin with Karolina Muchova, but the pair lost in straight sets to Erin Routliff and Juliana Olmos.
However, many fans remain skeptical about Serena's competitiveness in singles due to the physical demands of the sport.
All this time, she has been evasive when asked whether her competitive spirit will help her return to singles.
Last week, when asked at a warm-up tournament in Berlin if she'd like a wild card into singles, Serena laughed and joked with reporters, "That's the big question, isn't it? I don't know.".
Serena Williams faces a risky first-round draw.
If Serena wins her match at Wimbledon, she will become the fourth-oldest woman in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title.
In September 2022, she played a tense singles match at the US Open, losing in a thrilling and emotional third round encounter against Ajla Tomljanovic.
At the time, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion famously rejected the word "retirement," preferring to say she was "evolving" as she stepped away from tennis to focus on family and personal endeavors.
Due to a long break from competition, Serena will enter Wimbledon unseeded and could face a dangerous opponent in the first round. Her fate will be determined on Friday, when the Wimbledon singles draw takes place.
The situation is completely different in the doubles rankings, where after last week’s victory she occupies 593rd place.
Serena Williams has unveiled her team for her return to the court.
Let me introduce my new team with trading cards. pic.twitter.com/quUJAyr1iL
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) June 9, 2026.
Earlier this month, Serena took to social media to announce the team she would be working with in this new phase of her journey.
However, she added a twist by sharing information through collectible cards that appeared to be generated by artificial intelligence.
One of the cards depicted Serena in a pink superhero costume, complete with a cape. The card also called her "The Greatest of All Time," and gave her a total score of 100.
The second card listed Jarmer Jinkins as her "Head Trainer" with an overall score of 99, while the other listed Derick Pearson as her Fitness Trainer with an overall score of 97.
The latest addition to the team was Rennae Stubbs, who now serves as assistant coach.
Fans are divided over Serena's AI-generated cards.
However, the mother of two has come under fire from some social media users for using AI-powered cards.
«"All this money and you couldn't hire a graphic designer?" wrote one user, X, while another added, "This is definitely the most sloppy work in the history of AI.".
«"You're not a tennis legend. That's definitely Djokovic. And Steffi Graf is the best tennis player of all time," wrote another critic.
«"AI for making flyers, and Mr. Serena is a billionaire???" someone else added.
However, others praised Serena for her efforts and wished her luck.
«"Phenomenal team! Keep it up, Jamere!" wrote one fan, while another added, "Serena, this is a truly brilliant idea! You should seriously consider turning these into actual trading cards, with full sets, special inserts, parallel variants, and limited edition trading cards that could be sold to the general public.".
Read also: Serena Williams breaks silence: 'The Queen is back'«