Serena Williams faces long Wimbledon odds; Jannik Sinner favored - ESPN

Serena Williams is making her return to Grand Slam singles tennis at Wimbledon, and sportsbooks are bracing for all the attention from bettors she could bring, even as they keep her as a relative long shot.

Aryna Sabalenka is the favorite to win the women's tournament at +350 with 2022 champion Elena Rybakina next at +550 and 2025 champion Iga Swiatek at +750, according to DraftKings Sportsbook odds Friday.

Williams, coming off nearly four years away from Grand Slam competition, checks in at 35-1, but her odds have fluctuated wildly since she announced her return. On Tuesday, she was 28-1, and by Thursday, she had lengthened out to 50-1 before shortening back down to her current level.

Regardless, bookmakers are preparing for American bettors to back the all-time great in her comeback, with Caesars Sportsbook's head of tennis Lewis Harland saying his team is «absolutely» expecting public support and that Williams is currently the book's second-largest liability on the women's side. DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello characterized Williams as «one of our higher liabilities.»

In general, the parity in the women's game is leading to a lot of action for the tournament as bettors are taking shots on players all over the odds board. Bookmakers from BetMGM, Caesars and DraftKings report Coco Gauff (11-1), Jessica Pegula (12-1), Naomi Osaka (25-1), Emma Raducanu (30-1) and Emma Navarro (60-1) all holding various levels of liability.

«The women's side has taken so much more money than the men's side, at least at this point,» Avello told ESPN. «The men's has always been difficult to overcome the top two or three players. On the women's side, I think there's always more openness that anybody could win it on a given day,