"2022, see you there" - Serena Williams confirms intention to participate in Wimbledon

With her latest social media update, Serena Williams has all but confirmed her intention to participate at the upcoming Wimbledon Championships. Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, the 23-time Grand Slam champion dropped a major hint that suggests she could be receiving a wildcard for the event in the days to come.

Williams posted a close-up photo of her tennis shoes on a grass court, with her racquet bag spotted in the distance. Naturally, the sneakers were all white in the fashion that is to be expected at Wimbledon.

The American captioned the post saying "2022, see you there," indicating once and for all that she intends to participate in the event.

"SW and SW19. It’s a date. 2022, see you there. Let’s Go!" Williams wrote on Instagram.

Although an official announcement from the tournament organizers regarding wildcards is yet to come, it remains highly likely that the former World No. 1 will be granted one. With her current ranking situation, the 40-year-old will be ineligible to play at SW19 with anything but a wildcard.

Having not played any competitive tennis since last year's Wimbledon Championships, where she suffered a hamstring injury in the first round and was forced to retire, Williams has fallen out of the Top-1000. She is currently ranked World No. 1208, but a couple of wins at SW19 this year would see her climb up the spots in no time.

One of the accounts tagged in the post is the official Instagram handle of the Eastbourne International, a WTA 250 event that takes place the week before Wimbledon (June 17-25).

This has led fans to speculate that the 23-time Grand Slam champion could play the tournament as well in preparation for her big test at SW19. Once again, a wildcard is yet to be confirmed by the event organizers.

Serena Williams looking to win eighth title at Wimbledon

Serena Williams is a seven-time winner on the grasscourts of Wimbledon

Serena Williams could not have picked a better spot to make her WTA comeback, seeing as she is a seven-time winner at Wimbledon. The former World No. 1 lifted the trophy in 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016, and finished as the runner-up on four occasions (2004, 2008, 2018 and 2019).

A title run in 2022, as unexpected as it may be at the moment, will see Williams equal Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slams, an accomplishment she has chased all her life. As things stand, the 40-year-old leads the list of players who have won the most Majors in the Open Era with 23 titles to her name, one more than Steffi Graf and Rafael Nadal's haul of 22.