What is Wimbledon without the Williams sisters? Well, we’re about to find out.
The entry lists for the 2022 tournament was released on Friday, and both Serena and Venus Williams were absent. At least one of the Williams’ has competed at Wimbledon every year since 1997 (except for 2020, when it was canceled due to COVID-19).
Either player could still participate if they request a wild-card invitation, but Racquet Magazine’s Ben Rothenberg reported it “seems deeply unlikely” that Serena Williams will compete.
The 2022 Wimbledon Championships is set to take place at the All England Club from June 27 through July 10.
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Serena Williams, 40, has not played since last year at Wimbledon, when she retired during her first round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich due to a right leg injury. The same ailment has kept the 23-time Grand Slam singles winner out of the 2021 U.S. Open, 2022 Australian Open and 2022 French Open. She is a seven-time Wimbledon champion, most recently in 2016.
Venus Williams has been just as dominant at Wimbledon, winning five of her seven career Grand Slam singles titles at the tournament. The 42-year-old hasn’t played professionally since last August.
Rankings points will not be awarded at Wimbledon this year, which contributed to Naomi Osaka’s indecision about competing – though she was on the entry list.
