Serena Williams has been handed a wildcard entry for the ladies’ singles championship at Wimbledon, paving the way for her return to Grand Slam competition.

The All England Club announced on Sunday that the tennis great from the United States, who returned to competition last month after a three-and-a-half-year retirement, was the eighth and final player to receive a wildcard in the ladies’ singles category.

Wildcards are handed out by tournament organisers to players whose rankings do not permit automatic entry and are usually reserved for home players, those with illustrious career records or high-profile players returning from injury.

“This is not a drill,” the third Grand Slam of the year said in its post on Instagram and X announcing the return of Williams.

Williams is the seven-time Wimbledon singles champion, winning her last title in 2016, before retiring from the sport in 2022.

Her return to the Slam was confirmed when she accepted a ladies’ doubles wildcard to compete alongside her sister Venus. The sisters won a record-equalling six doubles titles between 2000 and 2016.

Williams first appeared at Wimbledon in 1998, reaching the singles third round.

The 44-year-old returned to competitive tennis at the Queen’s Club Championships, playing her first match with Canadian doubles partner Victoria Mboko on June 9 . The pair exited the tournament in the quarterfinals, offering a walkover due to an injury sustained by Mboko.

Williams also competed at the Berlin Open last week, teaming up with Karolina Muchova of Czechia, but lost in the round of 16.

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The American is arguably the greatest women’s tennis player of the Open Era, with 37 Grand Slam titles and 96 WTA titles.

She stepped away from the sport after the US Open 2022, saying she would ‘evolve away from tennis’, although she never officially retired.

The mother of two announced her return from retirement in a social media post on June 2 , when she posted a social media video captioned: “Good news travels fast.”

The announcement shook up the world of tennis and was warmly received by current and former players.