Serena Williams has downplayed any immediate plans for a singles return as she prepares to make her professional tennis comeback at the age of 44. The 23-time grand slam champion will compete in doubles alongside Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko at Queen's Club, marking her first competitive outing since stepping away from the sport in 2022.
Williams, who gave birth to daughters in 2017 and 2023, emphasized that her return is about having fun and spending time with her children rather than chasing victories. 'I don't need to win. I've won more than most people have in their whole lives, so for me it's not important,' she said. 'It's important that I keep reminding myself of that because I don't have anything to prove, I don't have anything to lose and everything here is just a gain.'
Doubles Comeback at Queen's Club
Williams will partner with the 19-year-old Mboko, currently ranked world No. 9 in singles, in the first round of the doubles draw at Queen's Club. The pair will face third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in a match expected to take place on Tuesday or Wednesday. Williams has also committed to playing doubles in Berlin afterwards, but her future beyond that remains uncertain.
When asked about a potential singles return, Williams said: 'I can't say yeah, I can't say no. Right now, no.' She added: 'I feel like I probably need to train a little bit more if I want to play singles. We'll see if I get there. And if not ... that's not my journey right now. It's summer, the kids aren't in school, so it's a perfect time to get out there, have fun and see what happens.'
Selecting Victoria Mboko as Partner
Williams revealed that she chose Mboko because the teenager reminded her of herself. 'I remember seeing her play in Montreal. I was impressed with her attitude, and what I liked the most about her was that the next time she played she still kept winning,' Williams said. 'Sometimes you win one and then have a little bit of a low, which is normal, and that's OK as well. But I loved how she had this drive.'
For Mboko, partnering with her idol is a dream come true. 'Growing up, Serena has always been my idol,' said the Canadian. 'It was really hard not to like her because she won every tournament she played. So she was just an easy idol for me. Seeing someone on TV versus actually talking to them in person and having conversations, of course, it's very different. I think she's really nice and she's very personable, very relatable. And I think she's really funny. So I've found a lot of comfort with her.'
Reactions from Fellow Players
Emma Raducanu, who faced Williams in the first round of the 2022 Cincinnati Open and won 6-4, 6-0, expressed her delight at seeing the American back on tour. 'I remember that match. I was super nervous before playing her because it was just announced that she was stopping,' Raducanu said. 'It's really great to see her back. I think it's an amazing inspiration and for all of us to see her around is a really cool thing. She's the greatest female tennis player of all time. It's just amazing to have her part of the tour again.'
Raducanu herself has faced numerous physical setbacks in recent years, including a post-viral illness that led to an early exit at the French Open. Despite the challenges, she remains optimistic about the grass season. 'It was a tough match for me. I think afterwards I found the next day pretty tough and I knew the best thing for me to do was to try and get back on the court straight away to just nip it in the bud,' she reflected. 'I got practising pretty soon after and I took a long time away from competing. It did teach me a few things that I can hopefully take into the grass season. Of course, I haven't had so many matches leading up to it. But I've been doing what I can day to day. That's all I can really ask of myself and keep going.'
