Serena Williams is doing something ahead of Wimbledon which she has rarely done before in her career
Serena Williams is set to be one of the biggest attractions of this year’s Wimbledon, after receiving a wildcard into both the singles and doubles draw.
The American icon returned to tennis after a near-four-year absence to play doubles at Queen’s and the Berlin Open, alongside Victoria Mboko and Karolina Muchova.
The star is yet to play a competitive singles match ahead of her Wimbledon comeback, where she will play in the draw for the first time since 2022.
Williams has already arrived at Wimbledon to prepare for her joint campaigns and she has been spotted doing something of a rarity for the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
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Williams has been practicing alongside Maria Sakkari on the practice courts of Wimbledon to gear up for her return to the grass court Grand Slam.
During her first run at the very top of the WTA Tour, Williams rarely practiced alongside her rivals, especially at Grand Slams.
Williams would often opt instead to practice with her close-knit team, which she has been doing at Queen’s and Berlin, with her new team of coach Rennae Stubbs and hitting partner David Quayle.
Sakkari and Williams are no strangers to each other, however, having met twice on the WTA Tour during the American’s first run in the sport.
They each picked up a win in their matches together, with Williams picking up her victory against the Greek star at the US Open in 2020.
Williams reached the semi-finals of her home Grand Slam that year, but she was defeated in three sets by Victoria Azarenka.
Sakkari’s victory against Williams came in the same year just months prior, as the Greek star dispatched the American in three sets at the Cincinnati Open.
Sakkari currently sits inside the top 50 of the WTA Tour rankings, so she will be a fantastic sparring partner for Williams, who is looking for some much-needed singles reps.
The Greek star is a veteran on the WTA Tour, having reached several impressive milestones since making her debut in 2015, including reaching a career-ranking high of World No 3 during the 2020 season.
She has also been deep in several Slams, having reached the semi-finals of both Roland Garros and the US Open in her career.
However, she has never shown her best tennis at Wimbledon, having never reached past the third round of the grass court Grand Slam.
The Greek star has been knocked out of the third round on four occasions, in 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2024, so she will be hoping her work with Williams will provide her with a boost too.
