After weeks of speculation, Serena Williams is finally returning to Wimbledon as a singles competitor, and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, did not hold back from celebrating the triumph.
Since playing her last doubles match at the Berlin Open, Williams has given several non-committal answers to the question of whether or not she will once again step onto the Wimbledon court as a singles competitor. Now, the 23-time Grand Slam winner has accepted a wild card from Wimbledon to fill the only remaining singles spot on the draw.
Wimbledon itself made the news official on its X account, and Ohanian replied to the post. The co-founder of Reddit dropped a two-word reaction on his X account to celebrate the announcement, writing:
“She’s back.”
Ohanian’s excitement comes after weeks of speculation surrounding Williams’ Wimbledon status. The returning legend made several non-conclusive statements on her singles return, with the latest one being a playful exchange with a reporter during a post-match press conference at the Berlin Open, where she asked the reporter if he thought she was ready.
Williams had already been given a wildcard from Wimbledon to play doubles alongside her sister, Venus Williams, and now, with her singles draw being official, Serena will manage a staggered schedule, alternating her gameplay between singles and doubles in one of the biggest Grand Slams of tennis.
Williams played her first match in four years alongside Victoria Mboko at the Queen’s Club earlier this month and managed to win the first round. However, the duo had to retire due to Mboko’s injury.
Her latest endeavor on the court was a doubles loss at the Berlin Open, alongside Karolina Muchova in the Round of 16.
Serena Williams Reveals How Her Daughter Prompted Her to Partner Alongside Venus for a Doubles Matchup at Wimbledon
Besides confirming her singles return, Serena Williams had days earlier accepted a wildcard from Wimbledon to play a doubles match with her sister Venus Williams. However, the reasoning behind choosing to partner alongside her sister was inspired by a suggestion from her daughter, Olympia, who suggested that the 23-time Grand Slam winner should partner with her sister.
Serena revealed the conversation she had with her 8-year-old daughter at the post-match press conference of the Berlin Open. According to the WTA, here is how that went:
“My daughter Olympia told me that I should play with Venus. She’s always right. She’s like ‘Mom you should play with Venus’. She’s very serious, she’s very smart. She’s very wise. I said ‘OK Olympia, we’ll see if we can do it.'”
The pair has won the doubles championships at Grand Slams 14 times, and six times at Wimbledon.
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