As Wimbledon royalty, it was only fitting that she plotted her SW19 comeback from quarters that were fit for a queen.
So seven-times champion Serena Williams stayed in a £40,000-a-week AirBnB mansion in central London, the Daily Mail can reveal today.
She was based in the six-bed property split over seven floors while playing in the doubles at Queens, West Kensington, this month.
Days after checking out, she finally accepted her wildcard invitation to the ladies’ singles and will appear on Centre Court on Tuesday.
On Sunday, the 44-year-old legend – who last appeared at the tournament in 2022 – told reporters she made the call just hours before the deadline last Monday.
‘I just wasn’t sure up until then,’ she said. ‘Honestly, I’m still not even sure, but we’ll see… I feel like I’m really going to enjoy being out there.’
Ms Williams had built up her confidence with her first competitive match in four years in the Queens doubles.
She and Victoria Mboko, 19, defeated the third seeds in the opening round before retiring prematurely after the teenager was injured.
Serena Williams posted this picture on Instagram with the caption: ‘Thank you Airbnb for a wonderful stay. A little peace goes a long way during tournament week’
Former Wimbledon champion Williams was based in the six-bed property split over seven floors
Ms Williams thanked AirBnB for a ‘wonderful stay’, writing: ‘A little peace goes a long way during tournament week’.
She shared an image of her running a bath in a huge freestanding tub in a chic pale-stone bathroom featuring twin basins and an enormous vanity mirror.
At around £6,000-a-night, the pad boasts a walled roof terrace, while the spacious rooms have floor-to-ceiling sash windows.
Imposing crystal globe chandeliers hang above the beds and a long dining table, which has dark studded chairs featuring silver lion heads on their backs.
The owner replied to Ms Williams online: ‘It was a privilege to host you, and we’re delighted our home could provide a little peace during tournament week.’
Ms Williams, who is also entering the doubles with sister Venus, 46, said returning to Wimbledon is ‘like riding a bike’.
But while excited about her return, the former champion hit out at ‘unreasonable’ anti-doping tests that will mean she cannot pick up her children.
‘It’s unprofessional,’ she said. ‘I hate it. That was a big reason why I didn’t want to come back either, because it’s just so hard.’
The American, who is married to entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, stepped back from tennis to focus on her family, giving birth to her second child Adira a year later in 2023.
She was announced as a wildcard in the doubles with her sister on June 16 before taking the eighth and final slot in the singles five days later. She faces Australian world number 53 Maya Joint, 20, in the first round.
Meanwhile, organisers are battling adverse conditions after last week’s storms flooded the media centre and extreme heat broke line-calling camera Hawk-Eye in qualifiers. While the mercury dipped this weekend, it is set to return to 31C (88F) by the end of the week.
