If Serena Williams reaches the semifinals at Wimbledon in her return to the major, she will certainly have earned it. Her first-round match is winnable, but probably not easy. She will take on Maya Joint, who has been successful on grass courts before. She won Eastbourne in 2025.
But the real fun for many tennis fans will begin if Williams can make it past Joint. In the second round, the American legend will likely play Alexandra Eala, a rising Filipina star who hasn't yet come close to winning a major, but is seemingly just on the cusp of greatness.
Eala would first have to defeat Renata Zarazúa in the first round, but that is expected. If that does happen, tennis fans will be looking at a match that could present past glory versus future high-end success. Not to dismiss Williams' chances in London, of course, but returning to singles for the first time at Wimbledon and expecting her to win a title seems foolish.
Serena Williams potentially faces an Alexandra Eala-sized test in the second round of Wimbledon 2026
At some point, she will probably lose. Everyone does, except for one player on the ladies' side, of course, just as there is only one winner on the men's side. Many hope Williams will make decent inroads at the grass-court Grand Slam, and that would be great for the sport, but that isn't likely to happen.
Plus, should Eala defeat Williams, that could be a fantastic story, too. She is building a large fanbase, rightfully so, and her making a deep run at arguably the most important tennis tournament in the world would be a long-term boon for the sport. She would just need to build on potentially beating Serena Williams and not lose in the next round.
That possibility exists for either Williams or Alexandra Eala if each reaches the second round. That is assuming Iga Swiatek makes the third round, and she will be an extremely difficult opponent for anyone she plays. Swiatek is the defending champion at Wimbledon, after all.
The story of Serena Williams returning to playing singles, and especially at Wimbledon, is obviously going to be the story ahead of the grass-court major. Once the tournament begins, however, reality will set in. That reality could be the 23-time major winner having great success, or it could mean her losing in the early rounds.
Either way, tennis will be a winner. The question will be if Alexandra Eala or Iga Swiatek are too.
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