Tennis icon Serena Williams is locking in, officially accepting wildcard entry into next week’s Wimbledon singles draw.
The berth marks her first Grand Slam since the 2022 US Open. Williams will also participate in the grass-court tournament’s doubles competition alongside sister Venus.
Serena made her return to pro tennis earlier this month, winning one doubles match at Queen’s Club before losing her Berlin Open clash.
After four years off the court, the currently unranked 23-time Grand Slam champion could face a steep climb at Wimbledon. And that’s despite winning seven previous singles titles in London.
As she looks to advance through the event, Williams could face defending Wimbledon champion Iga Świątek or world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
“Do you think I’m ready for singles?” she asked reporters this week. “That's the question of the hour, right?”
Maja Chwalińska has earned a ladies' singles wildcard for Wimbledon 2026. The All England Club confirmed the 24-year-old Polish player in its initial round of main-draw entries on Monday.
Maja Chwalińska Sees Meteoric WTA Rankings Rise
Chwalińska reached the French Open final just three weeks ago as a qualifier, becoming only the second to do so in Open Era history. She fell to Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-2 in the title match, but not before beating four Top 50 opponents across the tournament's two-week run.
Before Roland Garros, Chwalińska sat at world No. 114. After the tournament, she jumped 93 spots to a career-high No. 21.
That climb also came with a significant payday. She reportedly earned more than $1.6 million in prize money from the French Open.
Wimbledon Wildcard Entries and 2026 Schedule
With her new WTA ranking, Chwalińska no longer needs to grind through qualifying rounds. Instead, she enters Wimbledon with direct main-draw status and two weeks of momentum behind her. The London Grand Slam officials confirmed her wildcard alongside British players Harriet Dart and Katie Swan.
The grass-court tournament still has one wildcard spot to fill, with fans speculating Serena Williams might use it to make her singles return.
Wimbledon kicks off June 29th.
The All England Club announced on Tuesday that Serena and Venus Williams received a wildcard entry for the women's doubles draw at Wimbledon 2026.
The announcement marks the sisters' first competitive pairing since the 2022 US Open.
Recounting the Williams Sisters' Road to Wimbledon 2026
Serena, now 44, returned to professional tennis after a four-year hiatus earlier this year. She partnered with Canadian teen Victoria Mboko at the Queen's Club championships, but withdrew early after Mboko suffered a match-ending injury.
Venus, who turns 46 this week, still plays selective events. The 11-time Wimbledon winner earned a wild cared entry at the Australian Open earlier this year and has competed on the WTA 2026 tour.
They won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles between them from 2000 to 2016 — with six coming from Wimbledon alone. However, the pair has never lost a WTA major doubles final.
Beyond doubles, questions remain about how the Williams sisters might feature in Wimbledon's singles draw. Organizers left one women's wild-card spot open. Serena hasn't ruled out a singles entry, though she plans to test her form in doubles first.
For now, the pairing marks a return to the grass courts where the Williams sisters built much of their doubles resume.
Wimbledon is upping the ante, as the London Grand Slam announced its raising this year’s overall prize money to £64.2 million — a £10.7 million leap from 2025.
The 20% increase marks the largest in tournament history. ATP and WTA champions will take home £3.6 million each, while first-round losers walk with £80,000.
“What has been decided this year is the biggest uplift ever in quantum terms,” said All England Club chair Debbie Jevans. “We’re proud to be able to do that through how we run the championships in such a sustainable way.”
The news comes after top stars publicly protested French Open revenue sharing. However, Wimbledon’s payout still falls below the 16% players are targeting.
“We’ve always been clear that we’re on the side of the players,” added Jevans, stressing All England Club’s nonprofit status. “Revenue does not take into account the contributions that we give.”
The grass-court Slam’s new total amounts to 15.1% of last year’s recorded revenue. That’s a tick up from 2025’s 13% split.
Wimbledon 2026 Broadcast Info & London Grand Slam Dates
Wimbledon kicks off on June 29th, live on ESPN.
World No. 6 Mirra Andreeva is on the board, lifting her first Grand Slam trophy after Saturday’s straight-set 2026 French Open win over qualifier Maja Chwalińska.
The 19-year-old became the tournament’s youngest women’s singles champion since Monica Seles in 1992, and the first Russian woman to win Roland Garros since Maria Sharapova in 2014.
“I’ve had a lot of thoughts on how it’s going to happen, if it’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen,” Andreeva said. “The feeling in real life is so much better.”
After bursting onto the scene at 15, Andreeva’s first major title marks a highly anticipated milestone.
“I’m just happy I kept my focus, kept my composure,” she said, thanking her sports psychologist for her mental strides.
Up Next for French Open 2026 Winner Mirra Andreeva
Andreeva now shifts focus to the WTA's next Grand Slam, hitting the grass courts of Wimbledon starting June 29th, live on ESPN.
Roland Garros saw its fair share of weekend upsets, as multiple heavy-hitters headed home early after the first four rounds of 2026 French Open action.
Reigning champion Coco Gauff’s title defense ended unexpectedly on Saturday, as the world No. 4 fell to No. 30 Anastasia Potapova 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4 in a tightly-wound third-round clash.
“I fought my hardest, but I don’t think I played the way I wanted to in the crucial moments,” Gauff said postmatch.
The top-ranked US player wasn’t alone, as No. 2 Elena Rybakina, No. 3 Iga Świątek, No. 5 Jessica Pegula, and No. 6 Amanda Anisimova all bowed out — adding fireworks as the Grand Slam enters its second week.
No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka remains standing ahead of tonight’s high-profile matchup with No. 16 Naomi Osaka, after the Japanese fan favorite reached her first-ever Roland Garros Round of 16.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Naomi Osaka Tops Today's French Open Bill
Aryna Sabalenka takes on Naomi Osaka in the Roland Garros Round of 16 today at 2:15 PM ET, live on TNT.
Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk advanced to the second round of the 2026 French Open on Sunday, managing to successfully overcome a difficult morning on the home front.
Hours before her Roland Garros matchup, a Russian missile strike nearly destroyed her family home in Kyiv, as the Ukraine war continues to make headlines around the world.
Russian Missile Strike Narrowly Misses French Open Star's Family
According to reports, Marta Kostyuk received photos of the blast just three hours before taking the court.
The photographs showed a burning high-rise building some 100 meters away from her family home. Her mother, sister, and aunt were all inside the residence during the attack.
The bombardment was part of a wave of drone and missile strikes launched across Ukraine. The overnight attacks killed four people and injured approximately 83 others in the capital city.
Marta Kostyuk: "It was one of the most difficult matches of my career. This morning, 100 meters away from my parents' house, a missile destroyed a building.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) May 24, 2026
And it was a very difficult morning for me. I didn't know how this match is going to turn around for me. I didn't know how… pic.twitter.com/khXGcuGWX7
Despite the emotional distress, the 15th seed defeated Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-2, 6-3 in 78 minutes, hitting 20 winners during the match. Afterward, she explained that the ongoing conflict with Russia made focusing nearly impossible.
"I felt sick just for the thought that if it was 100 meters closer, I probably wouldn't have a mum and a sister today," Kostyuk said postmatch.
The 23-year-old went on to express pride in her resilience, crediting the strength of the Ukrainian people for inspiring her to take the court in Paris.
Kim Clijsters made a surprise return to Roland Garros this week for the 2026 French Open, with the International Tennis Hall of Famer joining rising US star Katie Volynets as her new coach.
Fans first noticed the four-time Grand Slam champion sitting in the player's box during the opening round, watching as Volynets started her tournament with a dominant 6-3, 6-1 victory over Clara Burel.
Following the win, 24-year-old Volynets revealed the collaboration had been in development for several months.
"We have been planning it since like last November," Volynets said in her postmatch press conference. "So, I’m just really happy to have her here, it’s amazing."
The move marks a shift in strategy for Clijsters. Historically, the Belgian icon has only coached players from her home country, such as Elise Mertens. She's mentored others, but her last official appointment for a player not from her home country came during Sorana Cirstea's 2018 Wimbledon run.
Clijsters's latest return follows a lengthy recovery from two separate Achilles tendon tears suffered last year.
Katie Volynets Falls to Marta Kostyuk in Roland Garros 2nd Round
Volynets previously reached a career-high WTA ranking of No. 56 in 2024. She hoped to leverage Clijsters's elite championship experience to make a deep run on the clay courts.
However, their team-up faced an immediate test in the French Open's second round.
Volynets faced reigning Madrid Open champion Marta Kostyuk on Wednesday. Although the US standout won their recent 2024 China Open matchup, Kostyuk entered the match in peak form, outlasting Volynets in a grueling three-set battle.
While the loss marks the young hopeful's Roland Garros exit, it's unclear if her partnership with Clijsters will extend beyond the Paris Grand Slam.
The 2026 French Open is off to the races, with first-round upsets making headlines after world No. 5 Jessica Pegula fell to No. 83 Kimberly Birrell in three sets.
Pegula has previously struggled at the Paris Grand Slam, seeing first-round exits in 2019 and 2020 before making progress over the past four seasons.
“When I saw the draw and saw I was playing Jessie, I knew it would be really tough,” Birrell said of her top-ranked opponent. “My goal was to just win one game and slowly gain some confidence.”
The rest of the WTA’s Top 10 escaped unscathed, as clay-court titans No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 3 Iga Świątek, and reigning champion No. 4 Coco Gauff cruised through their openers despite a record heat wave at Roland Garros.
“I’m from Florida, so this is nothing — shoutout Delray Beach,” Gauff joked after handling Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-0. “I felt more bad for the fans… I’m glad I was able to keep it short.”
Fan favorite No. 16 Naomi Osaka also made a splash, securing Tuesday’s first-round win over Laura Siegemund in an Eiffel Tower-inspired sparkly gold Nike tennis dress.
Where to See 2026 French Open Scores at Roland Garros
French Open coverage runs through June 6th, live on TNT.
World No. 16 Naomi Osaka delivered another iconic Grand Slam entrance Tuesday, wearing a shimmering gold sequined dress underneath a dramatic black corset to kick off her 2026 French Open campaign.
The 28-year-old arrived on Court Suzanne Lenglen in a custom Kevin Germanier-designed black gown, subsequently revealing the glittering Nike tennis dress as she took the court. Osaka later said the outfit reminded her of "the Eiffel Tower at night."
Tennis fans witnessed Osaka dominate Laura Siegemund 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) to advance to the second round. During the match, the four-time Grand Slam champion joked she worried the umpire would kick her off court due to the reflections bouncing off her dress beneath the notoriously hot Paris sun.
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka later praised Osaka's fashion.
"I love that she is expressing herself and feels confident," she said. "That's the beauty of the fashion world."
Naomi Osaka Faces Donna Vekić in 2026 French Open 2nd Round
Since returning to tennis following her daughter Shai's 2023 birth, the former No. 1 has re-established herself in the WTA's Top 20 ranking.
Osaka next faces Croatia's Donna Vekić in Thursday's Roland Garros second round, live on HBO Max.