Serena Williams will return to the tennis court at the Rogers Cup next month. The 23-time Grand Slam winner was granted a wild card into the tournament, a WTA Premier 5 event.
Williams, who fell in straight sets in the Wimbledon final, has not played the Canadian tournament since 2014, when she reached the semifinals.
“We are, of course, very pleased to be able to announce the participation of Serena Williams,” Eugène Lapierre, tournament director of the Rogers Cup, said in a statement. “After announcing our player list a few weeks ago, we were only missing Serena to complete our dream tournament. Serena has impressed everyone with the speed at which she was able to return to a high level of play. She has always been a fighter and she is proving it once again.”
A three-time winner of the Rogers Cup, Williams, 36, has not won a title since returning to the tour after a 13-month maternity leave. However, the former world No. 1 did go 9-2 during the French Open-Wimbledon swing.
The Rogers Cup begins Aug. 3 at the IGA Stadium in Montreal.