Serena and Venus Williams are set to revive their formidable doubles collaboration at Wimbledon this month, having been awarded a wildcard into the doubles draw. The All England Club revealed the recipients on Tuesday morning, marking one of the most eagerly awaited wildcard announcements in recent times, particularly as it signifies Serena’s return following a four-year hiatus from competitive play.
Serena, a seven-time singles champion at Wimbledon, did not apply for a wildcard for singles play, and at 44 years old, she has remained discreet about her intentions regarding a singles comeback. Meanwhile, Venus, who has clinched five singles titles at Wimbledon, also did not receive a singles wildcard. She has been active on the tour since her debut in 1994, only pausing due to health issues. She will celebrate her 46th birthday on Wednesday.
Wimbledon had to navigate some complex decisions regarding wildcard allocations. Maja Chwalinska, who advanced to the French Open women’s singles final as a qualifier, has also been granted a wildcard. Despite missing the rankings cutoff for Wimbledon, as the deadline fell just before the French Open, the 24-year-old Polish player will enjoy the rare distinction of being both a wildcard and a seeded player at a Grand Slam tournament due to her rapid rise, currently holding the No. 21 ranking.
Additionally, singles wildcards have been awarded to veterans Stan Wawrinka, who is expected to retire this year, and Grigor Dimitrov, who led Jannik Sinner two sets to none last year before retiring due to a shoulder injury. Britain’s Dan Evans, who will also retire following the championships, did not appear on the initial singles list but has received a doubles wildcard alongside fellow Brit Henry Searle.
Serena faced a disappointing outcome in her second match since her comeback, competing at the German Open in Berlin with Czech player Karolina Muchova. The duo lost 6-4, 6-4 to Erin Routliffe and Giuliana Olmos. Previously, Williams and her partner Mboko had triumphed over Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in her return to competition at the Queen’s Club. Unfortunately, Mboko had to withdraw from their next match and the remainder of the grass court season due to a torn medial collateral ligament.
The Williams sisters have established themselves as one of the most successful doubles teams in tennis history, amassing 14 Grand Slam titles together, the joint-second highest in the Open Era, along with six women’s doubles titles at Wimbledon, the most in the Open Era. They have also secured three Olympic gold medals in women’s doubles and reached the pinnacle of the WTA rankings.
In other news, British No. 5 Arthur Fery marked a significant milestone by winning his first ATP tour match at the Queen’s Club, decisively defeating fellow British wildcard Toby Samuel 6-0, 6-2. Conversely, Cameron Norrie, ranked as Britain’s No. 1 player, suffered a setback, falling 7-6 (6), 6-2 to fourth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Top seed Alex de Minaur, considered one of the tournament favorites, began his quest for a first title at the Queen’s Club with a strong opening round performance, recovering from an early break to win against Canada’s Gabriel Diallo 7-6 (8), 6-3.
De Minaur is the sole top-five player in a notably weakened field. Historically, the Queen’s Club has been a prime pre-Wimbledon event, but it has been overshadowed in recent years by Halle, where six of the top ten players opted to compete this week. Among the current top ten, only Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and an injured Carlos Alcaraz are absent from this week’s tournament.
Additionally, the behavior of Corentin Moutet drew criticism, with BBC presenter Annabel Croft labeling his post-match interview as “That’s so frustrating. When I had a match point, I was on the second serve. OK, you hit me in the middle. Whatever you do, you just put the ball in the court. And then he hits me 142. I was like, ‘fuck, I would have to serve …’” Moutet spent a significant portion of his interview cursing after a closely contested 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
During the interview, Moutet was questioned by on-court presenter Jenny Drummond about Mpetshi Perricard’s impressive 142 miles per hour unreturned second serve on Moutet’s second match point. Moutet expressed his frustration, stating, “That’s so frustrating. When I had a match point, I was on the second serve. OK, you hit me in the middle. Whatever you do, you just put the ball in the court. And then he hits me 142. I was like, ‘fuck, I would have to serve …’”
Drummond attempted to redirect the conversation, urging Moutet to moderate his language, but he repeatedly responded with expletives.
