Everything you need to know about Serena's return to singles

The Serena Williams show is returning to Wimbledon.

Five days after she received a doubles wild card with her sister, Venus, Serena accepted the final wild card into the singles draw.

She's set to play Maya Joint Tuesday in the first round, in what will be her first singles match in nearly four years. 

Ahead of Williams' return to the All England Club, and to singles play, we look back at the significance of her comeback, her place in history, the reaction from players, her place in Wimbledon lore and more.

Serena's Grand Slam greatness, by the numbers

Widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, Williams returns to Wimbledon with 23 Grand Slam singles titles under her belt, the most in the Open Era. (She only trails Margaret Court, who won 24.) Her 367 singles wins at majors are also the most in the Open Era.

Williams, 44, made her Grand Slam debut back in 1998, at the Australian Open -- she won her first-round match before losing to Venus in the second round -- and her longevity is only matched by her consistency. Serena has reached 33 Grand Slam singles final -- only Novak Djokovic and Chris Evert have reached more -- and appeared in 82 major main draws (trailing only Djokovic and Venus Williams.)

Since 1990, no one has won more singles titles than Williams' 73.

The WTA Tour landscape Serena is returning too

The WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz looks quite different than it did in 2022, when Serena played her last match at the US Open (a 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-1 defeat to Ajla Tomljanovic). Following that tournament, finalists Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur occupied the top two spots in the rankings, respectively. Swiatek remains in the Top 3, and Jabeur hasn't played since last year's Wimbledon, coincidentally. (After taking a break from tennis, she gave birth to a boy, Elyan, in April.)

Anett Kontaveit, then No. 3, retired the following the year, and then-No. 4 Paula Badosa has fallen to No. 140 after being hampered by continual injuries.

Then-No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka has since risen to the very top of the sport, holding the No. 1 spot for 96 weeks (including 88 consecutive) and winning four Grand Slams. Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula have established themselves as Top 10 mainstays over that span, and they've been joined by such teen sensations as Mirra Andreeva and Victoria Mboko.

Wimbledon has been wide open since Williams' last appearance in 2022, with three different champions winning the last three Championships. In fact, since Williams won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016, eight different players have won the last eight Wimbledons.

Serena does have experience playing several of today's top players, albeit not in years. She's 5-1 against Elina Svitolina, 1-3 against Naomi Osaka (the most notable being Osaka's upset in the 2018 US Open final), 1-0 against Pegula (Serena beat her in the 2020 Auckland final, her most recent title), 0-1 against Rybakina, 1-0 against Amanda Anisimova and 1-0 against Sabalenka (a three-setter at the Australian Open five years ago). 

Williams has never played Swiatek, Andreeva, Gauff or Mboko (though she's play alongside the Canadian World No. 9). 

And, of course, she has a storied past with Venus Williams, winning 14 doubles Grand Slams together. Serena leads the singles head-to-head 19-12.

Why she decided to come back, and the state of her game

Williams made her highly-anticipated debut at Queen's Club earlier this month, and her first impression was a strong one. Teaming with Mboko, she showed some rust early on, as could be expected, but had some vintage Serena moments, including this brilliant backhand winner.

She also showed that her serve is still powerful and effective, hitting back-to-back aces to set up match point before sealing the win with a 113 mph serve down the T that went untouched.

It was also evident from the first ball that she was thrilled to be back on court, smiling and laughing and soaking in the moment.

She confirmed as much after the match, starting her on-court interview by saying, "I just had so much fun today."

In that same interview, she explained her reasoning for coming back.

"I had nothing better do," she said, to laughter from the crowd. "I got tired of sitting at home. My kids are out of school for the summer, so why not?”

Tongue and cheek or not, she looks energized and excited to be competing again. 

Serena also revealed that she was motivated by Venus' run in doubles at the US Open last year -- she made the quarterfinals with Leylah Fernandez in front of a rabid New York crowd -- as well as other legendary female athletes, including Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn (who was cheering Serena on from her player's box at Queen's Club).

It's hard to predict how Williams' doubles game, which included the win at Queen's Club and a loss in Berlin, will translate to singles, and how her movement and endurance will be over the course of a match. But after her doubles match with Muchova in Berlin, she told reporters that she was making good progress.

"I felt pretty good out there," she said. "I felt more nimble, more sturdy and quicker than the first match. I felt pretty good physically."

At 44 years old, Williams will become the second-oldest woman to compete in a Wimbledon singles main draw in the Open Era, behind only Martina Navratilova.

The reaction and the buzz

The buzz around the tennis world and beyond has been palpable since Williams announced her return, and it's only intensified as she's played matches and been granted a singles wild card.

At Queen's Club, where she first returned, it was the topic of seemingly every conversation on the grounds, with fans bugging ushers throughout the day for information about where she was playing and practicing.

"The representation she's brought to the sport, I think that's really what drew me," said Julion Laborde, who traveled from New Orleans to London for the occasion. "Seeing another Black person playing tennis where you never would normally see Black people playing. She really inspired me to play, and I've loved her ever since."

The players -- many of whom grew up idolizing Serena -- were in awe, too.

"Oh my gosh," Alexandra Eala said, mid-interview, after hearing Williams' name called. "Sorry, this is just so crazy to hear her name."

For American Iva Jovic, the opportunity to watch Serena play -- and perhaps even play her -- is almost unfathomable.

"I have never seen Serena in real life," the 18-year-old said. "Obviously I grew up watching her. In my entire childhood she was dominating tennis, so it's going to be incredible."

Sabalenka, among many others, echoed that sentiment.

"She's fun, and she's a legend," Sabalenka said. "It's inspiring to see. I'm actually excited to see her play and probably face her, so it's very cool. It's very good news for tennis."

A track record of dominance at Wimbledon

Wimbledon is perhaps the most fitting place on Earth for Williams to resume her singles career, as few players have dominated the tournament like she has. She's won seven singles titles at the All England Club, reached 11 finals and compiled a 98-14 career record.

Among players with at least 15 Wimbledon matches in the Open Era, only Stefanie Graf and Navratilova have a higher winning percentage.

With her seven Wimbledon titles and an Olympic gold medal at the All England Club, Williams has won more grass-court singles titles than any WTA Tour player since 1990.