Djokovic tells Serena Williams she's 'inspirational' ahead of her Wimbledon return

The 44-year-old Williams is the buzz of SW19 — the famous post code of Wimbledon — as she prepares to play her first singles match at the event in four years Tuesday when she faces No. 53 Maya Joint in the first round.

Williams had been away from the sport since her farewell at the 2022 U.S. Open but she accepted a wild-card entry to play women's doubles with her sister Venus, who is 46. And then she accepted another to play singles.

“I see her in the gym more than I have, I think, seen her when she was at her prime,” Djokovic, a 24-time major champion, said of Williams, a 23-time major winner in singles. “It tells me that she really wants this to work out the best way possible.”

Djokovic added: “I always admired her career, her journey, her story. Of course, Venus’, as well.”

Williams’ most-recent appearance at Wimbledon was in 2022 when she lost in the opening round to Harmony Tan, who was then-ranked 115th. The American great walked away from tennis — she described it as “evolving” away — after losing in the third round to Ajla Tomljanovic at Flushing Meadows. Her second daughter was born in 2023.

Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon singles title winner, could meet defending champion Iga Swiatek in the third round.

No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is among the many players and fans looking forward to next week.

“I heard she said she’s doing that for her kids to see her play. They really get excited about that,” Sabalenka said.

“It’s amazing what she’s doing. Also it’s Serena Williams, everyone was talking about that. She’s bringing more eyes on tennis. It’s a good thing for tennis. I’m really excited to see her play.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis