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LONDON (AP):Anticipation is building at Wimbledon for Serena Williamsâ first singles match in nearly four years.The 44-year-old Williams is scheduled to play an opponent less than half her age, 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia, in the third match today on Centre Court â the patch of grass where the American standout won seven of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles.âI think everyoneâs feeling the same way: Cannot wait to be watching Serena back on Centre Court again,â Sally Bolton, the chief executive of the All England Club, said yesterday.Wimbledon organisers took the unusual step of holding up an eighth and final wild card spot for Williams until she accepted the invitation at almost the last possible moment, the weekend before qualifying began.âWe were all sitting there, sort of quietly keeping our fingers crossed that thatâs what would happen,â Bolton said when asked by The Associated Press how anxious the club was while Williams pondered her decision.âShe is such an icon of the sport. And particularly here at the championship sheâs one of our most special champions,â Bolton added. âSo it really will be the ticket to have tomorrow when she walks back on Centre Court.âWhether it was related to Williams or not, the queue of would-be-spectators camping out overnight for the daily batches of Wimbledon tickets on offer had reached 10,000 people by yesterday morning.âWe are advising people if they havenât already set off to travel, not to travel because the queue is effectively full,â Bolton said. âBy comparison to last year, it is really busy.âWilliams will also play doubles with older sister Venus Williams later in the week.Since Serena last won Wimbledon a decade ago, eight different women have won the title.âIt was needed a wee bit to kind of reinvent the womenâs game,â said Lauren Byrne, a 26-year-old spectator at Wimbledon from near Dublin. âSheâs definitely going to bring a bit more excitement back.âAdded Byrneâs father, Anthony: âItâs just great to see her. She still has the appetite, hasnât she, to play at this level? ⌠Age isnât a barrier.âGibran Chenia, a London resident who described himself as â50-plus,â called Williams âa legend.âAnd if sheâs half as good as she was, she is going to be great for tennis,â Chenia said. âItâs great to have legends back.â
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