Serena Williams will make her much-anticipated comeback this week at Wimbledon, where she will compete in singles for the first time since the US Open in 2022.
However, the 44-year-old is not the only player making a notable return to The Championships. Grigor Dimitrov is back in action in south west London, one year after he retired due to a pectoral injury when leading World No. 1 Jannik Sinner 6-3, 7-5, 2-2 in the fourth round on Centre Court.
An emotional Dimitrov left the court in tears that night, but after a long-battle, both mentally and physically, he is fit once again.
Williams and Dimitrov were seen embracing and sharing well wishes at Wimbledon on Friday. At her pre-tournament press conference on Sunday, the 23-time major champion Williams opened up on that encounter.
“I always call Grigor my bestie, which he's definitely my guy bestie,&rdquo. Williams said. “It was so good to see him. I mean, we obviously communicate outside of Grand Slams. I haven't seen him in almost a year, so just catching up. Always have so many good memories with Grigor. He gets my crazy. I get his crazy. Believe me, he's way crazier than I am.”
After his Wimbledon retirement, Dimitrov did not compete again until late October, when he won a match at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris before he withdrew due to injury. The 35-year-old then suffered opening-round defeats in Dallas, Acapulco, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid as well as at ATP Challenger events in Aix-en-Provence and Bordeaux and in Roland Garros qualifying in 2026.
However, the former No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has won four matches on grass this month, across events in Dublin (ATP Challenger) and Mallorca (ATP 250).
Williams, who opens her Wimbledon campaign against Australian Maya Joint, is pleased to see him healthy again following last year’s heartbreak.
“It was really tough to see that last year,&rdquo. Williams said on Dimitrov’s injury. “He's had a tough year just dealing with that injury. You just [have] to continue to fight and continue to come back.”
Dimitrov will face Australian qualifier Dane Sweeny in the first round on Tuesday and you can read all about his journey back in our feature here.
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