In a Tuesday morning shocker that no one saw coming, Serena Williams presumably announced that she would be participating in this year's iteration of Wimbledon.
Williams has totaled seven titles at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, but she hasn't played competitive tennis since withdrawing from her first round match last year.
She posted on her Instagram page, "SW and SW19. It's a date. See you there. Let's go."
Serena Williams has just confirmed that she will play Wimbledon this year pic.twitter.com/TAkQiLXJyE
— Stuart Fraser (@stu_fraser) June 14, 2022
It's unclear exactly what Williams did to register for the event, but it's likely that she used a protected ranking, as players following lengthy injury absences can do.
As far as the odds go, sportsbooks have the tennis legend at different numbers, but no one has Williams towards the top of the list.
FanDuel has Williams listed at +3000 to win her 24th Grand Slam title, while PointsBet has her at +5000 and DraftKings has her listed at a short +1800.
It's hard to know exactly what Williams will bring to the court as she's been away from the sport — at least at a professional level — for such a solid period of time.
In fact, Williams offered no guarantee that she'd be participating in the singles draw of the tournament. The world No. 1208 could be opting to play only in doubles — mixed, women's or both — but she could indeed be making a singles appearance.
We'll have to see what route she chooses, but oddsmakers don't think we'll be seeing the seven-time Wimbledon champion version of Williams when she arrives in London.
