Serena Williams’ path to a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title -- and eighth at Wimbledon -- appears very difficult.
Williams could face defending champion Angelique Kerber or and an unseeded Maria Sharapova in the fourth round. In the quarters, top-ranked Ashleigh Barty or 2017 Wimbledon winner Garbine Muguruza could await.
Williams is playing her sixth Grand Slam since a life-threatening childbirth, seeking her first tournament title of any kind since becoming a mom. She is coming off her earliest exit from a Grand Slam in five years, falling in the French Open third round to 20-year-old American Sofia Kenin.
Williams was not at 100 percent in Paris, though, withdrawing from her previous three tournaments with health problems, citing a left knee injury at the last two. She hasn’t played any grass-court tune-up events (as usual, her last was in 2011).
Older sister Venus Williams is not one of the top 10 Wimbledon seeds for the first time since 2015 and unseeded altogether for the first time since 2012. Williams, at 39, is the oldest player in the draw. She plays the youngest in the first round, 15-year-old American qualifier Coco Gauff.
The bottom half is headlined by No. 2 Naomi Osaka, whose road to a potential final includes Caroline Wozniacki (fourth round), Simona Halep or Madison Keys (quarterfinals) and Karolina Pliskova (semifinals).
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