Tennis: For the first time since 1996, no Williams sister at Wimbledon

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Serena Williams at Wimbledon 2021 (archive image)

Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

The name of four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka was on the entry list for the singles tournament in Wimbledon published by the organizers, but Roger Federer and the Williams sisters were not there.

Osaka said last month that she was "not 100% sure" she would play in the Grand Slam tournament, as the sports federations' decision to strip the tournament of ranking points reduced her motivation to play.

The 24-year-old had also retired from Wimbledon last year after taking time off for "personal reasons".

Wimbledon were stripped of ranking points by the men's ATP and women's WTA after the grass court decided to ban players from Russia and Belarus over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, seven-time singles champion Serena Williams and her sister Venus, five-time singles champion at the All England Club, were conspicuous by their absence.

For the first time in 26 years, Wimbledon will take place without one of the Williams sisters.

Both the 40-year-old Serena and Venus Williams, who is about to turn 42, are missing from the entry list for the most important tournament in the world, which will be played from June 27th to July 10th at the All England Club in London.

In terms of sport, it had recently become quiet around the two former world number ones.

Serena Williams has not played since retiring in the first round of Wimbledon 2021, but had promised a comeback there in early April to continue the hunt for her 24th Grand Slam title.

With this she would catch up with the record holder Margaret Court, in 2017 the younger Williams sister had last triumphed at the Australian Open.

Venus Williams played her last match in August 2021 in Chicago.

Venus Williams made her Wimbledon debut in 1997, when Martin Hingis (Switzerland) won the tournament.

The older Williams sister competed 23 times on the "sacred lawn", missing only in 2013 and winning the tournament five times, most recently in 2008.

Serena Williams, who won her last of seven titles in 2016, first played at Wimbledon in 1998.

At that time, the Czech Jana Novotna, who died in 2017, won, Steffi was eliminated in round three of her penultimate participation.

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