Wimbledon has been criticised for giving Serena Williams a singles wildcard and scheduling her return to be on Centre Court.

Serena Williams was handed a wildcard to compete in the women’s doubles at Wimbledon and will play alongside her sister Venus. Neither was included on the initial list of singles wildcards, with Serena accepting an invitation after the final spot was left unfilled.

Williams will make her return on Tuesday when she faces Australia’s Maya Joint on the iconic Centre Court, with the legend’s return being met with excitement from fellow players, pundits and fans, but Grand Slam-winning coach Calvin Betton has concerns.

Venus Williams and Serena Williams hold their trophies following victory in the Ladies Doubles Final in 2016
Venus and Serena Williams hold their trophies following victory in the Ladies Doubles Final in 2016. Pic: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

‘I don’t think you can be doing stuff like this,’ said Betton, who coaches former Wimbledon and Australian Open champions Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara.

‘Isn’t it a gateway drug to getting people like Jake Paul in there? He would put bums on seats and give tournaments some marketing reach… Where’s all this leading?

‘I don’t think it would be that, by the way; that’s me greatly exaggerating it, but what if one of the tournaments now says we would love to have Roger Federer playing and are willing to pay him millions? What if another tournament does the same with Rafael Nadal? It could get a bit silly,’ Betton argued.

serena williams wimbledon
Serena Williams before The Championships Wimbledon 2026. Pic: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

‘This is my biggest problem with it. We keep hearing that she wants to come back and win – but she doesn’t want to win enough to stay around. I suspect this return will just be for Wimbledon, the US Open and a couple of the Masters events; that’s it.

‘And that’s where I have a problem because this is not a serious tennis professional and we’re giving them wildcards into the Wimbledon draw.’

Serena Williams’ appearance at Wimbledon has split opinions, with many people agreeing with Calvin Betton, but some people have also said that her return is inspirational to the younger generations and good for the sport.