"Serena Williams could lose in the first round or win the tournament" - John McEnroe on the 7-time champion's chances at Wimbledon

It has been over a week since Serena Williams announced her participation at this year's Wimbledon Championships, which starts in three days, and fans still can't control their excitement.

While it's one thing for fans to get euphoric, experts feel the need to be more realistic. Speaking to the media about the upcoming edition of Wimbledon and Williams' chances, former American player John McEnroe picked Williams to either lose her first match or go all the way to lifting her eighth title at SW19.

"I would only say that I think she could lose in the first round or win the tournament," McEnroe said.

Former World No. 1 Chris Evert felt that returning after such a long layoff could be difficult.

"I think you can’t expect a whole lot because she’s not match-tough. I think that when you don’t play for a long time, your instincts, it takes a while for your tennis instincts and your tennis IQ to come back. It’s hard to really assess how she’s going to play in singles just because you see her playing doubles. I can’t tell how the movement is from side to side, from up to back. The serve looks good. The power is there," Evert said.

Evert said that new top players like Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur could pose a threat to Williams and hence, the expectations should be low.

"I’m excited for the tournament that she’s playing. But, you know, it’s a question mark. All the other players have gotten better over the last year. When you look at Swiatek, Jabeur, some of the players that can challenge the top or can win Grand Slams. I’m always thinking you have to have low expectations. If anything great happens, that makes it all the better," said Evert.

Seven-time Wimbledon winner Williams has not played a singles match for almost a year, as a result of which, she has slipped to No. 1,204 in the WTA world rankings. The last time she played was in the first round of the 2021 Wimbledon against Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Even before the first set could be completed, Williams suffered a hamstring injury and retired mid-match.

Earlier in June, Wimbledon made public the entry list of players for this year's event and Williams' name was missing. However, the American legend took to social media last week to confirm her entry into the main draw as a wildcard.

Serena Williams and Ons Jabeur withdraw from Eastbourne tournament

Ons Jabeur and Serena Williams had reached semifinals in Eastbourne

A right knee injury to World No. 3 Ons Jabeur has forced her and Serena Williams to withdraw from the doubles category at the Rothesay International in Eastbourne. The pair struggled a little in their first match against Sara Sorribes Tormo and Marie Bouzkova but easily beat their second-round opponents Shuko Aoyama and Chan Hao-ching.

Williams and Jabeur reached the semifinals where they were set to face Aleksandra Krunic and Magda Linette, but had to pull out of the tournament due to an unfortunate injury to Jabeur. This was Serena Williams' first competitive event since the 2021 Wimbledon Championships.