Serena Williams set to return: Decoding her stats at Wimbledon
What's the story
Former world number one Serena Williams has been away from tennis for nearly a year. She last competed at 2021 Wimbledon where she retired through injury in the first-round match. Notably, the 23-time Grand Slam champion has received a wild-card entry (singles) from the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) to play the grass-court Slam this year. Here, we decode her stats at Wimbledon.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Serena, who has won a record 23 Grand Slam women's singles titles, is ranked 1,208th currently (WTA Rankings). She has not played competitive tennis for nearly a year. Serena required a wild card to feature at Wimbledon this year as she has slipped out of the top 1,000. The American will chase a record-breaking eighth Wimbledon title this time.
Titles
Serena has won seven Wimbledon titles
Over the years, Serena has won seven Wimbledon titles (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2016), joint second-most with Germany's Steffi Graf in the Open Era. By winning one more, Serena only be behind fellow American Martina Navratilova, who owns nine titles in the grass-court event (Open Era). Among current players, Serena's sister Venus has five Wimbledon titles.
Information
Serena has a win-loss record of 98-13
Serena has a win-loss record of 98-13 at Wimbledon. She has played 11 finals (lost four). She lost the summit clash to Angelique Kerber in 2018 and Simona Halep in 2019. Notably, she has lost only one semi-final (to Venus in 2000).
Do you know?
Serena could become second woman to win 100 Wimbledon matches
Serena could become only the second woman to win 100 matches at Wimbledon. Navratilova is the only woman to achieve this feat so far. By doing so, Serena will become the first-ever woman to claim 100 match-wins at two majors (US Open: 106).
Drought
The Grand Slam drought of Serena
Serena last won a Grand Slam title in 2017 at the Australian Open. The American has qualified for two Wimbledon (2018-19) and two US Open finals (2018-19) and ever since. She also reached the semi-finals at US Open (2020) and Australian Open (2021). Prior to this drought, Serena had won at least one Grand Slam for six straight years (2012-2017).
Milestones
Serena eyes these milestones
Serena has an opportunity to capture her 24th Grand Slam singles title. She is only behind former world number one Margaret Court on the tally (24). The former has played as many as 33 Grand Slam finals. By playing one more, she could match the record of Chris Evert (34). Notably, Serena would appear at a Slam for the 80th time in her career.