Describing Serena’s comeback as a rare source of inspiration, even for a player who “doesn’t need any more inspiration”, Wilander has predicted there to be more shocks during the third major of the season, following on from a frenetic fortnight at Roland-Garros.
The spectre of Serena returning to SW19 – some four years after she announced her retirement from professional tennis – can act as a catalyst for injecting life into the legs of some of the older participants.
Djokovic has been stuck on 24 Grand Slam titles since winning the 2023 US Open. The 39-year-old lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 Wimbledon final before going down in four sets to the Spaniard at the Australian Open earlier this year.
But the process of slowing down Father Time for the Serbian superstar may just have received an additional shot to the arm.
“I think the fact that Serena Williams is playing is going to be an inspiration for everybody,” Wilander told TNT Sports.
“I do think that it’s pretty important that Serena plays well, that she wins maybe a match or two, that she shows that, hey, at 44 years old, I’m still competitive, it’s still possible.
“For Novak, who is five years younger than Serena? I think it will be a huge inspiration.
“It’s not like Djokovic needs inspiration anymore, because he’s inspiring himself, but if you are going to change something, I think Serena Williams could be a huge help, not just for Novak, but for everybody to realise that your tennis career can actually be 20 to 25 years long.
“For Djokovic, I think it only has to do with the mental inspiration that Serena is going to bring.”
Djokovic has been drawn into the same half as Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon, setting up the tantalising possibility of a semi-final clash between the seven-time champion and the world No. 1 and defending title-holder.
Taylor Fritz, meanwhile, faces a blockbuster opening-round meeting with Jack Draper in one of the standout ties of the first round.
Djokovic, seeded seventh, begins his campaign against Wu Yibing, with a potential second-round meeting against either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Hugo Gaston should he progress.
The draw projects Arthur Rinderknech as his third-round opponent, followed by a fourth-round clash with either Andrey Rublev or rising Brazilian star, Joao Fonseca.