Wimbledon coach Calvin Betton slams tournament over ‘disgraceful’ Serena Williams decision
Rhiannon Ingle
Featured Image Credit: Tim Clayton/Getty Images
Wimbledon 2026 is only just getting underway, but it's already serving up a whole bunch of talking points online before the biggest names have even settled into the tournament.
And it's clear that one decision has sparked a fierce debate among tennis fans and pundits alike, with tennis legend Serena Williams officially back at Wimbledon.
The 44-year-old athlete was originally handed a wildcard to compete in the women's doubles alongside her sister Venus Williams, 45, after making her competitive return to tennis earlier this month following four years away from the sport.
Neither Williams sister appeared on the initial list of singles wildcards, but after one final place remained available, Serena accepted an invitation to enter the singles draw.
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The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion will make her long-awaited return to Centre Court on Tuesday (30 July) when she takes on Australia's Maya Joint.
Now, many fans are absolutely buzzing to see one of the sport's greatest-ever players back on the grass, but it's clear that not everyone agrees with the decision.
Grand Slam-winning coach Calvin Betton has criticised both the wildcard and the decision to schedule Williams' opening match on Centre Court.
Speaking on the Tennis Unfiltered podcast, Betton said: "I don't think you can be doing stuff like this.
"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.
"If she was coming back and saying, 'I'm having a run at this, my intention is to get back to the top of the rankings, and I want to see how well I can do', then I would be much more sympathetic to it, and I would even back it."
He continued: "But we're giving a wildcard to someone who's not seriously trying to compete at tennis anymore, and instead it's purely for promotional reasons.
"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."
Betton also questioned whether Williams should be given Centre Court over current stars still competing regularly on tour.
"It's going to be interesting to see what court they put her on at Wimbledon," he said before the order of play was confirmed. "You can't logistically put her on Centre Court, I don't think.
"There's enough other big names in the game. Again, I'll stress it, this is a 44-year-old who hasn't played a singles tennis match in four years.
"I think they need to put her on Court Two or something, I don't think you can put her on Centre, there's just too many big names. She's not a serious tennis player; she's a retired tennis player.
"If so, you might have to bump someone like Elena Rybakina off to Court Two, a former winner and the world number two.
"I don't think you can put someone on Centre Court who hasn't played a singles tennis match in four years and is 44 years old.
"It would be a disgrace, it would be a disgrace if they do. That tournament can't be taken seriously if that happens.
"She probably will play on Centre Court purely for a safety thing, but I don't think she should be, and I don't think it's reasonable to the other players."
Not everyone shares those concerns, though.
Novak Djokovic, who is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title and an eighth Wimbledon crown, threw his support behind Williams' return.
"What she's doing is inspirational, and it's epic," Djokovic said during a media press conference.
"I always admired her career, her journey, her story. Of course, Venus, as well.
"For her to come back after years of being absent from the tour, two children later, and to give so much effort, not just for her own satisfaction or coming back on the tour, but also to give all of us a pleasure of seeing her back on the court. In singles as well as doubles. It is remarkable."
Tyla has reached out to Serena Williams' representatives and Wimbledon for comment.