Serena Williams returns to Wimbledon with bold prediction for 2024 run

Serena Williams will step back onto Wimbledon’s hallowed grass next week, ending a two-year singles absence since her 2022 retirement.

What’s the comeback about?

Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, returns to singles competition at Wimbledon on Monday, July 1, 2024. The 44-year-old American joins an elite group of Open Era women who’ve competed in a major past age 40, alongside Martina Navratilova, Kimiko Date and her sister Venus Williams. She last played singles at the 2022 US Open before stepping away from the tour.

Why this return matters for Serena Williams

Serena Williams hasn’t played Wimbledon singles since her 2016 quarterfinal loss to Angelique Kerber. Her grass-court pedigree still looms large: she owns seven Wimbledon singles titles and a 94-10 career record on the surface. At 44, she’s also the oldest woman to enter a Slam singles draw in the Open Era, underscoring how far her longevity stretches beyond conventional timelines.

What Serena Williams’ coach expects this week

Rick Macci, who coached the Williams sisters between ages 9 and 15, told Casino he believes Serena Williams is in for the long haul. “I really think she’s going to play the whole year, and there’ll definitely be a GOAT sighting at the US Open in September,” Macci said. He also highlighted the coming doubles team-up with Venus Williams, a duo that’s won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together.

Macci watched Serena Williams’ recent warm-ups and expects a “competitive” version of herself despite the layoff. “How dangerous can she be? Even though she hasn’t won a match in seven years at Wimbledon and she hasn’t played that much, I have no doubt she can be competitive,” he said. He pointed to her 34-pound weight loss and a 122-mph serve that still pops, plus a flat, aggressive ground game he calls “firepower off the ground.”

Can Serena Williams shock the draw?

Macci isn’t ready to pick her as champion-“Now, will she win Wimbledon? No”-but he does think she can rattle seeds early. The betting markets place Aryna Sabalenka as the favorite, with Elena Rybakina second in the odds after her 2024 Australian Open title. Serena Williams’ best-case path likely runs through the first two rounds before the physical grind of late-week matches tests her body.

Serena Williams and Venus Williams will also team up in doubles at Wimbledon, a draw that kicks off on June 28, 2024.