Gamechanger, trailblazer, history-maker: Is Serena brave to make a singles comeback at Wimbledon after only playing two doubles matches?

Ever since it emerged late last year that she had re-entered the anti-doping testing pool - an intrusive and time-consuming commitment that no-one not intending to play professional tennis would put themselves through - the countdown clock has been ticking.

The grass-court season made sense for Serena to dip her toe back in, given her comfort on the surface and its lower physical demands compared to clay.

After keeping Wimbledon waiting until the last minute with one wild card spot left tantalisingly open, Serena has decided to chance her arm in singles, while at a combined age of 90, Williams and sister Venus are giving it another crack at doubles.

Serena, who said she was "evolving away" from the sport in 2022, impressed in her opening doubles match at Queen's Club.

It was hugely unfortunate that Victoria Mboko's injury meant Serena could only play one match, while her stay in Berlin proved short-lived as she suffered a first-round loss alongside Karolina Muchova.

Is Serena making her singles comeback too soon?

Speaking at the Hurlingham Club, Monica Puig, who became the first Puerto Rican tennis player in history to win a gold medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016, admitted being "surprised" at seeing Serena accept a singles wild card.

"I had seen in an interview she had said she was going to ease her way into playing singles and I know there was some speculation that she was going to do it, I just didn't think she was going to come back that soon after hearing that interview, but I just think it's really exciting," admitted Puig.

"This is great for tennis, great for Wimbledon as well, and I can see why she wants to come back and play singles. There's a lot of opportunity out there. We see there's a lot of upsets here and there, there's a lot that can happen in each and every tournament and Serena has the mindset of a champion.

"She's a great competitor so you know what to expect when you face her on court. She's not going to give you anything easy, so it's going to be really interesting how Wimbledon plays out. It's exciting for every tennis fan out there."

Doubles at 44 is one thing, but singles is undoubtedly a huge gamble given she will be heading straight into a Grand Slam having not played a competitive match in nearly four years.

It is close to a decade since she won the last of her 23 major singles titles - while in the early stages of pregnancy with her oldest daughter Olympia.

She reached the singles final at Wimbledon in 2018 and 2019, losing in straight sets both times, and has not won a match at the All England Club since.

Puig said: "If she's coming back, it's for a reason, because she feels fit to play. She's not going to take a wild card if she doesn't feel 100 per cent fit and we know grass can be a very tricky surface to get used to, and you need to feel physically fit in order to do so, so for her taking the chance it's because she feels comfortable and confident and she's ready.

"She's going to go in with a nothing-to-lose mentality and that might help her, or she might go in with a champions mentality where she's saying, 'I'm in it to win it' so that really depends on her, but she has to take it day by day."

How much will Serena have to rely on her serve?

At Queen's, Serena looked sharp at the net and with her groundstrokes, while her serve reached an impressive 120mph - which will be something she will reply on heavily at Wimbledon.

"She will want to rely on making a lot of free points if she can. Her serve can get her out of a lot of trouble," said Puig, who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2013.

"Grass in particular is a surface that is mentally very exhausting because things happen so quickly and there can be changes in momentum. So long as she can keep the points short, I know she likes to make her way into the net as well, she feels very confident there and has great doubles success, and she's a very intimidating opponent."

Can Serena make an impact in women's tennis?

Serena has been open about her use of weight-loss medication following the birth of her second daughter Adira in 2023, and former world No 1 Lindsay Davenport said: "She looks in incredible shape and better shape than arguably when she left the sport.

"Grass is a tough surface to start on, though. It goes very quick, very low, very physical. Not as much running as clay but a lot of bending."

Speaking ahead of her return, Williams insisted she has nothing to prove, but Davenport is sceptical of the idea results are not important to her.

"Her mindset has always been to be the best," the 1999 Wimbledon champion said. "Her mindset has always been to not settle for mediocrity.

"We have to assume that she's coming back because she feels she's in a position where she can actually make an impact immediately in women's tennis.

"It's naïve to expect right off the bat she's going to be winning tournaments, but she feels like she could work her way into it. It's a long time, a number of years she's been out. Obviously it doesn't get easier as you get older.

"We've never seen an athlete like her in our sport before, so she's got a lot going for her in that regard."

Bartoli: Playing in front of children gave Williams strength

Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli is concerned that Serena's return to action could prove challenging, especially with the American turning 45 in September.

"It is so difficult [to return at that age], with training, it's so hard for the body, and especially for Serena with two pregnancies," Bartoli told Sky Sports.

"Playing in front of her children gave her so much strength. We saw it at Queen's - she played brilliantly in her first doubles match with Victoria Mboko. She got extremely unlucky to not continue playing at the tournament.

"Venus has been much more on the court, playing singles last year, so she's not as rusty - but for Serena, serving out the way she did in that match - she rolled back the years.

"Absolutely thrilled to see her back on the court."

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