With Roland Garros approaching its second week, all of the attention in tennis will soon turn towards the infamously short grass court swing.
Several high-profile players are jostling for wildcards, with the likes of Jack Draper, Grigot Dimitrov, and Serena Williams in need of direct entry at multiple tournaments on the grass this season.
Serena Williams looks likely to play Queen’s with many believing she could make a long-awaited return to Wimbledon too for the first time since 2022.
Her sister, Venus Williams, has experience of returning sporadically to tennis, having already played the likes of the Australian Open and the Madrid Open so far this season.
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Williams’ schedule has just grown too as she has received a wildcard for Bad Homburg in Germany, which takes place the week before Wimbledon.
The American icon will be joined by fellow wildcards Alexandra Eala and Eva Lys, the latter of which will be playing at one of her home tournaments on the grass.
They will be joining three of the top 10 as Iga Swiatek, Elina Svitolina, Mirra Andreeva, and Karolina Muchova have also signed up for the WTA 500 event prior to Wimbledon.
Ekaterina Alexandrova, Naomi Osaka, Iva Jovic, Sorana Cirstea, Clara Tauson, and Elise Mertens have also signed up for the bumper event in Germany.
It is currently unclear whether Venus or Serena Williams will receive a wildcard for Wimbledon, although The Chamionships tend to save their entries for players from Great Britain.
Of the 16 wildcards offered for the 2025 event, only one went to a player from outside Great Britain. That was to former champion Petra Kvitova, who was set to retire after the event.
Kvitova won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, which is part of the reason she was given a wildcard for the event, as well as her departing the sport following the event.
However, with only one likely spot to play for, it could be fierce competition from the two sisters who have dominated Wimbledon for much of the last 30 years.
Serena Williams won Wimbledon seven times between 2003 and 2016, which puts her joint-second in the list of all-time winners in the Open Era.
Only Martina Navratilova has claimed more Wimbledon ladies singles title, having won an incredible nine titles at the UK Grand Slam.
As for Venus Williams, the American claimed five Wimbledon crowns between 2000 and 2008 in an incredible run at the Grand Slam. Her last appearance came in 2023, when she was defeated by Svitolina in the first round.
The post Venus Williams and Alex Eala sign up for grass court event just before Wimbledon appeared first on Tennis365.
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