American tennis legend Serena Williams will return to singles action at Wimbledon after four years as she was drawn to face Australia's Maya Joint in the first round on Friday.
Williams retired in 2022 but the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion made her comeback by playing doubles at the Queen's Club and Berlin Open earlier this month.
The 44-year-old received a wild card entry for the Wimbledon singles event, a tournament she has won seven times. If Williams defeats world number 53 Maya Joint, the American could face Philippines' rising star Alexandra Eala in the second round.
A win in the second round could set up a possible third-round meeting with defending champion Iga Swiatek, who begins her title defence against American Taylor Townsend.
Williams has been practising at Wimbledon for the past week and last played a singles match at the US Open nearly four years ago, in what appeared to be her farewell to tennis.
At the time, Williams said she was "evolving away" from tennis. Before this year's Wimbledon warm-up event at Queen's, Williams announced her return, saying the decision was motivated by a desire to play in front of her two young daughters.
She has not competed at Wimbledon since losing to Harmony Tan in the first round in 2022. Her last Grand Slam singles match was a US Open third-round defeat against Ajla Tomljanovic in 2022.
Questions remain over whether Williams can meet the physical demands of singles competition after her long absence from the sport.
She showed strong form in her doubles matches at Queen's and Berlin, winning one match in London with Victoria Mboko and losing her opening tie with Karolina Muchova in Germany.
Williams has not won a Grand Slam singles title since the 2017 Australian Open, while her last major final appearance ended in defeat at the 2019 US Open.
She will also compete in the Wimbledon doubles event with her sister Venus. The pair have won the All England Club doubles title six times together.
Sinner drawn against Kecmanovic in Wimbledon opener
In the men's singles draw, defending champion Jannik Sinner was drawn against Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round.
The Italian world number one has not played since his surprise defeat against Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round of the French Open in May.
Sinner, a four-time Grand Slam champion, is aiming to win Wimbledon for the second time, with his main rival Carlos Alcaraz absent due to a wrist injury.
Novak Djokovic will begin his latest attempt for a record 25th Grand Slam title against China's Wu Yibing.
The 39-year-old Serb has won Wimbledon seven times but has not claimed the title since 2022.
Second seed Alexander Zverev, who won the French Open in June, will face Alexander Blockx in the opening round.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka will play Matteo Berrettini in what is expected to be his final Wimbledon campaign.
Women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka will begin her attempt for a first Wimbledon title against Serbia's Teodora Kostovic.
Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu will face Antonia Ruzic in the first round, although fitness concerns remain around the British 30th seed.
Raducanu missed her practice session on Thursday after reportedly being seen wearing a protective boot.
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