LONDON (AP) 鈥� Iga Swiatek is the defending champion. Aryna Sabalenka is the No. 1 women鈥檚 singles player.
Serena Williams is the star, though, at Wimbledon.
The 44-year-old Williams’ presence has been emanating throughout SW19 鈥� the famous post code of Wimbledon 鈥� as she prepares to play her Tuesday when she faces No. 53 Maya Joint in the first round.
Mirra Andreeva, who just , was basically crossing her fingers when the Wimbledon draw was announced.
鈥淚 was watching like this because I don鈥檛 think anyone in the draw would have wanted to play against Serena,” the smiling Russian teenager said Saturday. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to speak for myself. I wouldn鈥檛 want to play against Serena. I would be just very nervous.鈥�
Williams had been away from the sport since her farewell at the 2022 U.S. Open but she accepted a wild-card entry to play women鈥檚 doubles with her sister Venus, who is 46. And then she accepted another to play singles.
Williams鈥� most-recent appearance at Wimbledon was in 2022 when she to Harmony Tan, who was then-ranked 115th. The American great walked away from tennis 鈥� she described it as 鈥渆volving鈥� away 鈥� after to Ajla Tomljanovic at Flushing Meadows. Her was born in 2023.
Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon singles title winner, could meet Swiatek in the third round.
Venus provides some motivation
Serena Williams officially returned to tennis earlier this month in a doubles match with 19-year-old Canadian at the Queen鈥檚 Club grass-court tournament.
鈥淯nexpectedly, before her first match she asked me did I have any motivational quotes I use for myself,鈥� Venus Williams said Saturday. 鈥淚 told her what I was using at the time. I don鈥檛 know if that helped or not. She did win the match.鈥�
The Williams sisters will play their first-round doubles match against Colombia鈥檚 Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra of Argentina.
Serena and Venus have won 14 Grand Slam titles together in doubles, including six at Wimbledon. Their first two doubles titles at the All England Club, in 2000 and 2002, came as wild cards.
鈥淔or us it was about the titles, we wanted the Grand Slam titles. We just wanted to bring them home,鈥� Venus said. 鈥淲e did pretty good.鈥�
Djokovic inspired by Serena
Novak Djokovic calls Serena Williams’ tennis comeback 鈥渋nspirational鈥� and 鈥渆pic.鈥�
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I told her,鈥� Djokovic said Saturday.
鈥淚 see her in the gym more than I have, I think, seen her when she was at her prime,鈥� Djokovic, a 24-time major champion, said of Williams, a 23-time major winner in singles. 鈥淚t tells me that she really wants this to work out the best way possible.鈥�
Djokovic added: 鈥淚 always admired her career, her journey, her story. Of course, Venus鈥�, as well.鈥�
Gauff and Sabalenka too
Coco Gauff, the No. 7 seed at Wimbledon, said Serena and Venus were the 鈥渂iggest鈥� inspiration on her.
鈥淚 played the sport because of them, believed that I could do things because of them. I look up to them a lot,鈥� she said.
Sabalenka added: 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing what she鈥檚 doing. Also it鈥檚 Serena Williams, everyone was talking about that. She鈥檚 bringing more eyes on tennis. It鈥檚 a good thing for tennis. I鈥檓 really excited to see her play.鈥�
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