"Probably the final time Serena Williams plays, it has to be her" - Tennis fans discuss which WTA player should open play on Centre Court at Wimbledon

Serena Williams will be back in action at Wimbledon this year after an entire year on the sidelines, thanks to a wildcard from the tournament organizers. Although the American is ranked well outside the Top-1000, that hasn't stopped tennis fans from wishing that the 23-time Grand Slam champion would be allowed to open play on the iconic Centre Court.

It is a tradition at Wimbledon every year for the defending champion to start off proceedings in the women's draw with the opening match on centre court. This year, however, Ashleigh Barty will not be available to kick off on the 28th, as the Australian announced her retirement earlier this year, leading fans to wonder who it should be.

Many are of the opinion that the honor should belong to the American legend, a seven-time winner at the tournament. Since this could very well be the former World No. 1's last appearance at SW19, users on Twitter hoped Serena Williams could have one last hurrah in front of a crowd that absolutely adores her.

Several also reckon it should be Simona Halep, the winner of the 2019 edition. The Romanian missed out on the chance to open play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and an injury forced her out of the 2021 edition. Back then, Barty, who was the World No. 1 at the time, took her place on Centre Court, making fans proclaim that it is only fair that Halep gets the chance to repay the favor next week.

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who will be coming into Wimbledon with a 35-match win-streak, is also a strong contender, while last year's runner-up Karolina Pliskova is also in the running.

It is not without precedent for the runner-up to open play at Wimbledon in the absence of a defending champion, lending a strong argument to Pliskova's case. Local sensation and reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu's name was also tossed in the hat by eager Brits, but it is very unlikely that Raducanu will get the nod ahead of the aforementioned four.

"Probably the final time Serena Williams plays, it has to be her," one fan tweeted.

"Should be Halep. Denied the chance to walk out as a champion last year. Would be nice for her to have that moment this year," another fan posted.

"I voted for Simona to open play. But please, let Iga also play her 1st round match on Centre Court. I think she hasn't played on Centre Court ever," one account wrote.

"Barty stepped in to open play when Simona Halep was injured in 2021, it would be lovely if Wimbledon did same in reverse this year," another fan tweeted.

Except Serena Williams, all of Iga Swiatek, Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova and Emma Raducanu are seeded at Wimbledon 2022

Serena Williams is the only unseeded player among the group of favorites to open play

Meanwhile, the seedings for the 2022 Wimbledon are out, and with the exception of Serena Williams, all of the possible favorites to open play on Centre Court are seeded. Iga Swiatek took the top seed position, while Karolina Pliskova is the sixth seed.

Emma Raducanu is the 10th seed at SW19, while Simona Halep is the 19th seed. All of them are likely to play their opening matches on Centre Court, as is Williams, despite the fact that she is only a wildcard entry.