This is not a drill: Serena Williams confirmed in Wimbledon singles draw

Wimbledon left a number of gaps in its wildcard roster as part of its initial announcement on Tuesday, including for men's and women's singles.

Serena had already been confirmed to play in the doubles alongside sister Venus Williams, after being handed a wildcard.

But as the other slots got filled, anticipation reached fever point over whether or not the 44-year-old would indeed make her singles return at SW19.

Off the back of playing two matches in doubles, a couple of weeks after returning to the sport after nearly four years away, the grass court major revealed on Sunday night that she will make a surprise return to singles later this month.

In an Instagram story, Serena posted a graphic of her in an all-white outfit at Wimbledon, with the words, "Serena returns, ladies' singles."

Williams last played a competitive singles match at the US Open in 2022, when she made a thrilling farewell run to the third round, eventually bowing out in three sets to Ajla Tomljanovic.

Her singles record at Wimbledon ranks among the best ever, having won the title seven times and reached the final on four further occasions.

No player has ever won the ladies' singles as a wild card, but two have in the ladies' doubles - Serena and Venus themselves, in 2000 and 2002. 

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