Serena Williams accepts Wimbledon doubles wildcard, will pair with Venus

LONDON — Serena Williams will return to Wimbledon for the first time since 2022 after accepting a doubles wildcard alongside her sister Venus, the All England Club announced Tuesday. The 44-year-old American, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, has not competed on the professional tour since the 2022 US Open and currently holds no ranking, leaving her reliant on wildcard entries. Williams marked her comeback last week at the Queen's Club tournament, winning a first-round doubles match with partner Victoria Mboko. Mboko's injury cut short her run in London, and Williams is scheduled to play this week's Berlin Open doubles with Karolina Muchova before the grass-court major. The Williams sisters have won six Wimbledon doubles titles together, with their last shared championship coming a decade ago at the 2016 edition. Williams said she returned to the court so her young daughters could watch her play, and announced her comeback ahead of the Wimbledon warm-up events. Williams did not appear on the published list of singles wildcards for this year's Championships, which begin on June 29. No further details on her singles plans were immediately available.